Biden administration plans executive action after Supreme Court ruling | DW News

The US Supreme Court on Thursday overturned years of precedent to rule that universities and colleges can no longer consider race or ethnicity as factors when they select their students.

The court's six conservative justices — Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett — voted to strike down race-based admissions considerations. Liberal Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, voted to uphold them.

The 6-3 conservative majority found the practice of affirmative action discriminatory — not a tool for ensuring diversity and enhancing educational opportunities for Blacks, Hispanics and other minorities.

Ruling against Harvard, the oldest private college in the US; and the University of North Carolina (UNC), the nation's oldest public university, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion, "The student must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual — not on the basis of race."

What has the White House said?
Within hours of the decision, President Joe Biden spoke at the White House about its ramifications. In short but impassioned remarks, Biden said he strongly disagreed with the majority opinion, instead agreeing with the dissenting opinion's claim that, "it rolls back decades of precedent."

Biden, who said colleges and universities had enjoyed the freedom to decide how to diversify their student bodies for 45 years, argued that schools and the nation as a whole are "stronger when they are racially diverse."

After encouraging institutions of higher learning to consider the adversity that individual students had overcome to qualify for admission — adversity such as low income upbringings in poor neighborhoods with disadvantaged schools — Biden said, "discrimination still exists in America, today's decision does not change that."

He also sought to defuse the argument that race was allowing unqualified students to gain admission to schools before railing against legacy admissions policies that benefit generally wealthy students whose family members had previously attended a school.

Biden said legacy policies, "expand privilege rather than opportunity," and he bemoaned the fact that, "the odds have been stacked against working people for far too long."

In closing, he admonished those listening to "remember that diversity is our strength," noting "we cannot let this decision be the last word."

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[sats]

Colleges are stronger when you have talented people and not arbitrary students based on race

[vak]

The so-called 'positive' discrimination is still discrimination.

[garrykimovich]

Aren't asians "people of color" and a racial minority? There is tremendous "diversity" on college campuses if you count asians as a racial minority, but for some reason asians are always changed to another category in these discussions.

[pomperidus]

I am a French of hispanic origins working in German academia, I am happy that neither France nor Germany discriminates on the base of skin color for admission into universities.

[ervdre]

I noticed Barbara R. Arnwine failed to mention Asians being negatively affected during her rebuttal of the decision. The issue is (e)quality of education. Nothing else.

[innsmouthresident]

I'm sorry but I agree with the judges, race, colour should have no impact on entrance into higher education . Students need to be selected on their academic achievements . This is a sensible approach.

[GordyThomas]

Read the ENTIRE ruling AND consider that this case was brought by ASIAN AMERICANS, a minority that was NOT being helped but rather HARMED by affirmative action.

[richardharris]

If you are to consider special entry conditions to University it should be surely based on the economic situation of the student and their family situation not their ethnicity.

[ivanr]

I’m Hispanic and I agree with the Supreme Court!
The best and most qualified student should get in
Not the average person, idc what race u are

[oldenoughtoknow...]

Chip on her shoulder. Wrong person to interview

[Curt_Johnston]

Petition for more resources for low income communities instead of trying to lower the bar for people based on race

[meejinhuang]

Good ruling. The US needs to be a merit based society.

[Martinko_Pcik]

They should be solving equalizing the opportunity and not equality of outcome. You see they didn't accomplish much during those 60 years. It is multiple generations.

[samthingthetrack]

It seems to me that if you can not create "merit" in any thing you do you will not "advance". Therefore, admissions, like justice should be "blind" to the the one pleading to advance on merit

[CommonSenseCitizen]

I am in full support of this! Let's really get into equality!

[SvenAndersson]

Very unconvincing arguments. Who gets to a place in a university should be based on merit not on racial origin. It should be the same for all based on the test score and nothing else.

[CyborgZeta]

This woman neglected to mention poor whites in regions like Appalachia, whom were disadvantaged under affirmative action, and will continue to ve disadvantaged.

[ΓιάννηςΣΑΡΑΤΖΙΔΗΣ]

Finally a light of Optimism in the tunnel...

[marshalllapenta]

No mention of Americans with Asian ancestry?

[GSXK]

People should get into college based on merit. Affirmative action is an insult to minorities.. they need help because they're not smart enough on their own?? C'mon.