Supreme Court Rules Race-Conscious Admissions Policies of Harvard and UNC Violate Constitution

In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that race-conscious admission policies of Harvard College and the University of North Carolina violate the Constitution, bringing an end to affirmative action in higher education.

The court fell along ideological lines in the pair of cases, 6-3 and 6-2, with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson recusing herself in the Harvard case. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion covering both disputes.

In his opinion, Roberts wrote a couple lines that seem to all but eliminate race-conscious admissions completely: “Many universities have for too long wrongly concluded that an applicant’s race or ethnicity ought to be considered as a factor in admissions decisions.”

The decision is likely to have a major impact on college admissions nationwide, as many universities have long relied on affirmative action to promote diversity on campus. The ruling could also have implications for other areas of the law, such as employment and housing.

The Supreme Court’s decision is a major victory for Students for Fair Admissions, Inc., the group that brought the case against Harvard and UNC. The group has argued that race-conscious admissions policies are unfair and unconstitutional, and that universities should instead focus on other factors such as academic achievement and economic need.

The ruling is likely to be controversial, as many people believe that affirmative action is necessary to promote diversity and combat systemic racism. It remains to be seen how universities will respond to the ruling and what impact it will have on college admissions in the future.