US ban on affirmative action: In a major decision, the United States Supreme Court on Thursday outlawed affirmative action in college admissions, effectively ruling out the factors of race and ethnicity in the admission policies of US colleges.
In a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court found that race-based admissions in colleges are in violation of the Constitution and now colleges have to look for other ways to achieve diverse students, AP reported. The top US court overturned admission plans in Harvard and the University of North Carolina, dating back to 45 years.
According to Chief Justice John Roberts, the universities have for long wrongly decided that "the touchstone of an individual’s identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice."
Now, the universities will have to reshape their admission policies, without taking in the factor of race and ethnicity into it, as many top institutes have for a long time. This deals a major blow to educational opportunities for African-Americans and other minorities.
The universities' affirmative action policies were seen as 'rudderless' by Justice Clarence Thomas, the second Black justice of the US. The court's first Latina judge Sonia Sotomayor dissented, saying that the verdict "rolls back decades of precedent and momentous progress."
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden expressed that he strongly disagreed with the Supreme Court's decision. "The Court has effectively ended affirmative action in college admissions. And I strongly — strongly disagree with the Court’s decision," he said during an address from the White House.
"We cannot let this decision be the last word. I want to emphasize: We cannot let this decision be the last word," he further said.
Biden asserted that his administration is proposing a new standard for colleges taking into consideration the adversity faced by a student. He also announced that he is directing the Department of Education to analyse the practices to help create diverse student practices.
In a post on Twitter, Biden said his administration is working on providing educational institutes with clarity on lawful practices and programs that support student body diversity in college admissions, as well as convening a National Summit on Educational Opportunity.
Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris also criticised the Supreme Court's decision, saying that it "rolls back long-established precedent and will make it more difficult for students from underrepresented backgrounds to have access to opportunities that will help them fulfill their full potential."
Harris contended in her statement that the ruling will harm educational experience for all students and will impact the country for decades to come.
The decision on Thursday came years after many conservative groups have called for an end to race-based admissions.
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