The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has officially ruled in favor of the Students for Fair Admissions, eliminating affirmative action.
The SCOTUS ruling stated that Harvard University and the University of North Carolina (UNC) went against U.S. Constitutional law.
Justice John Roberts (R) gave his statement on the controversial ruling. "Both programs lack sufficiently focused and measurable objectives warranting the use of race, unavoidably employ race in a negative manner, involve racial stereotyping, and lack meaningful endpoints," stated Roberts.
"We have never permitted admissions programs to work in that way, and we will not do so today.”
The lawsuit against the two universities stated that the over 50 years old legislation discriminated against white and Asian students.
Justice Roberts listed caveats in the ruling. For example, universities are not obligated to completely ignore a student’s race when reviewing their application.
"At the same time, as all parties agree, nothing in this opinion should be construed as prohibiting universities from considering an applicant's discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise," wrote Roberts.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor (D) held a much different view from Roberts, stating that the ruling would prevent black students’ race from being considered.
“Today, this Court stands in the way and rolls back decades of precedent and momentous progress,” wrote Sotomayor.
“It holds that race can no longer be used in a limited way in college admissions to achieve such critical benefits. In so holding, the Court cements a superficial rule of colorblindness as a constitutional principle in an endemically segregated society where race has always mattered and continues to matter.”
President Biden (D) was very disapproving of the ruling, stating “In case after case, including recently, just as a few years ago in 2016, the Court has affirmed and reaffirmed this view: that colleges could use race not as a determinative factor for admission, but as one of the factors among many in deciding who to admit from a qualified — already qualified pool of applicants.”
He continued stating, “Many people wrongly believe that affirmative action allows unqualified students…to be admitted ahead of qualified students. This is not…how college admissions work.”
Recently, SCOTUS members, such as Judge Clarence Thomas (R), have come under increased scrutiny for their actions.
Like Thomas, Justice Samuel Alito (R) has come under scrutiny by the American public. Much of the criticism comes from various gifts and trips the two judges have accepted from wealthy individuals.
The justices' actions created a violation of U.S. law that requires Supreme Court judges to disclose certain gifts they receive.
Furthermore, Alito’s acceptance of gifts and his luxury trip with billionaire Paul Singer gained more criticism due to the billionaire’s hedge fund’s appearance before the court in 2014.
