The Supreme Court made a historic ruling on Thursday, deeming the race-based affirmative action programs at Harvard and UNC unconstitutional.
The landmark decision signifies a major shift, as educational institutions across the nation are now prohibited from discriminating against students based on their race.
Conservatives have long viewed affirmative action as both constitutionally and morally unjust. They argue that granting preferential treatment based on race, whether it benefits white individuals or racial minorities, is fundamentally flawed from both ethical and constitutional standpoints.
The deciding vote was 6-3, and Chief Justice Roberts penned the majority opinion.
Prior to the ruling, the majority of states, except for California, Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, Arizona, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, and Idaho, employed race-based affirmative action policies.
In October of the last year, the US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two distinct cases relating to the consideration of race in college admissions: Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. University of North Carolina and Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard University.
“A benefit to a student who overcame racial discrimination, for example, must be tied to that student’s courage and determination,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote. “In other words, the student must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual—not on the basis of race.”
“Many universities have for too long done just the opposite,” he continued. “And in doing so, they have concluded, wrongly, 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.”
