‘Color-Blind’ Supreme Court Bars Consideration Of Race In College Admissions
The Supreme Court has ruled that it is unconstitutional to consider race in university admissions.
In Thursday’s 6-3 decision (along ideological lines), the justices rejected arguments by Harvard College and the University of North Carolina that their admissions programs are warranted to ensure campus diversity.
The high court majority effectively overturned a 2003 decision, known as Grutter v. Bollinger, that had reaffirmed the right of universities to consider race as one of many admissions factors.
In a concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas said that ruling “is, for all intents and purposes, overruled.”
As The Wall Street Journal reports, the ruling will force a reworking of admissions criteria throughout American higher education, where for decades the pursuit of diversity has been an article of faith.
