Politicians, celebrities, and social media users alike are voicing their opinions on the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down affirmative action in college admissions.
On Thursday (June 29), the majority-conservative Supreme Court ruled that admission policies considering race at the University of North Carolina and Harvard were unconstitutional, bringing an end to affirmative action.
Chief Justice John Roberts authored the majority opinion.
“The student must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual—not on the basis of race,” Roberts wrote. “Many universities have for too long done just the opposite. 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.”
Liberal justices dissented in Thursday’s ruling.
“Today, this Court stands in the way and rolls back decades of precedent and momentous progress,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor said. “It holds that race can no longer be used in a limited way in college admissions to achieve such critical benefits. In so holding, the Court cements a superficial rule of colorblindness as a constitutional principle in an endemically segregated society where race has always mattered and continues to matter.”
In a social media post on Thursday, former first lady Michelle Obama spoke out about the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down affirmative action.
“So often, we just accept that money, power, and privilege are perfectly justifiable forms of affirmative action, while kids growing up like I did are expected to compete when the ground is anything but level,” Obama wrote in part. “So today, my heart breaks for any young person out there who’s wondering what their future holds — and what kinds of chances will be open to them.”
Former President Donald Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to praise the SCOTUS ruling, per The Hill.
“People with extraordinary ability and everything else necessary for success, including future greatness for our Country, are finally being rewarded,” Trump said. “This is the ruling everyone was waiting and hoping for and the result was amazing. It will also keep us competitive with the rest of the world. Our greatest minds must be cherished and that’s what this wonderful day has brought. We’re going back to all merit-based—and that’s the way it should be!”
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