In a pivotal ruling, the US Supreme Court has come out against race-conscious student admissions policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina (UNC), dealing a significant setback to affirmative action initiatives.

The court decided in favor of Students for Fair Admissions, an organization spearheaded by anti-affirmative action activist Edward Blum, who had contested the admissions methods of these esteemed institutions.

The majority ruling, led by Chief Justice John Roberts, argued that these universities’ admission programs breach the Equal Protection Clause of the US Constitution. He emphasized the need to assess students as individuals rather than based on their racial background. Despite this, John Roberts also clarified that the ruling does not disallow universities from considering an applicant’s experiences with racial biases.

However, Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor, along with Jackson and Liberal Justice Elena Kagan, voiced dissent, arguing that the decision erodes the constitutional guarantee of equal protection and continues racial disparity in education. The lawsuits, filed in 2014 by Blum’s organization, alleged that University of North Carolina and Harvard University discriminated against white, Asian American, and other non-underrepresented minority applicants.

The significant shift towards conservatism in the Supreme Court since 2016, along with the appointment of three justices by former President Donald Trump, paved the way to re-evaluate previous decisions on race-conscious admissions strategies.

  Elena Kagan, Harvard University, John Roberts, Sonia Sotomayor, University of North Carolina, US Supreme Court, USA