Supreme Court Ruling Bans Affirmative Action Nationwide

In the early morning hours of July 29th, the Supreme Court justices struck down the use of affirmative action for college campuses across the nation, claiming that using race as a factor for admission is unconstitutional. With a 6-3 / 6-2 vote, the court concluded that both University of North Carolina and Harvard had violated the 14th Constitution by discriminating against prospective students based on race. This decision follows shortly after a wave of rulings targeting what has been considered Democratic movements, with the advantage of the conservative majority court.

Banning the use of affirmative action takes a colorblind approach in reviewing university applications and  assumes that all individuals have the same support in obtaining resources for success, completely ignoring the networks of privilege which typically advantage wealthy and white students. The reality is that the United States was built to systematically oppress communities of color, and higher education institutions must be able to consider racial and ethnic backgrounds when in admissions to create more equitable spaces. This loss is detrimental to the current and new student populations of American campuses, as affirmative action allows campus leaders to decide what steps are necessary to bring greater equity in all aspects of campus including hiring staff that reflect the student population who share similar lived experiences.

Kent Nishimura for the Los Angeles Times

Supreme Court strikes down race-based affirmative action in college admissions

By David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times | 6/29/2023