The Latest Breaking News from UNC

The U.S. seeks to eliminate all distinctions based on race universally, which is a narrow view of equality and which prevents broad-based race conscious measures

The U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings on Thursday that race-conscious college admissions programs are unlawful was widely expected but still deeply discouraging.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court’s two Black justices sparred over the meaning and impact of race in dueling opinions on the majority’s decision to curtail affirmative action programs at universities.

In an anticipated but nonetheless stunning decision expected to have widespread implications on college campuses and workplaces across the country, the conservative majority of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 29, 2023, outlawed affirmative action programs that were designed to correct centuries of racist disenfranchisement in higher education.

A preliminary assessment of today's decisions. The majority rightly struck a blow against the use of racial preferences for purposes of advancing "diversity" in education. But there are some flaws in its reasoning.

There is no reason for public universities to grant preferential treatment to the scions of their alumni.

In a 6–3 decision, the Court ruled that race-based affirmative action in college admissions violates the 14th Amendment.

Only a small portion of U.S. colleges have selective admissions, where race-conscious admissions can make a difference in who gets in. But the impacts of banning affirmative action are far wider.

The “visibly angry” justice said Thomas “ignites too many straw men to list”