Biden condemns Supreme Court striking down affirmative action: ‘This is not a normal court’

President Joe Biden said he “totally disagrees” with the Supreme Court’s decision to scrap decades of use of affirmative action in college admissions.

The court’s conservative majority overturned the Harvard and University of North Carolina admissions plans, saying race could no longer be considered a factor in university admissions.

The landmark ruling undoes generations of affirmative action that began in the 1960s as a way to increase diversity after the hard-won success of the civil rights movement.

Chief Justice John Roberts said that for too long universities have “wrongly concluded that the touchstone of an individual’s identity is not the challenges met, the skills acquired, or the knowledge gained, but the color of his skin.” Our Constitutional History does not condone this election.” Judge Clarence Thomas — the second black judge in the country to long have called for an end to affirmative action — wrote that the decision “seans university admissions policies for what they are: taxless, race-based preferences , designed to ensure a certain racial mix.” in their entry-level classes.” However, Judge Sonia Sotomayor wrote dissentingly that the decision “undoed decades of precedent and significant advances.” President Biden urged colleges not to let the ruling “be the last word” while praising Sotomayor and fellow dissenting justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson.

“There is still discrimination in America. Today’s decision doesn’t change that,” Mr. Biden said.

“I believe our colleges are stronger when they are racially diverse. Our nation is stronger because we harness the full spectrum of talent in this nation. We cannot allow this decision to be the last word.”

The verdicts come from two consolidated cases, Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina And Students for Fair Admissions v Harvard College.

Both were filed by the anti-affirmative action organization Students for Fair Admissions, led by conservative legal strategist Edward Blum.

While the court upheld such programs in a decision nearly two decades ago, the resurgent Conservative majority swept any legal justification for them in its comments Thursday.

In a 6-3 and 6-2 decision, it contended that the use of racially sensitive permits violated the 14th Amendment’s equal treatment clause.

Effective immediately, higher education institutions are no longer allowed to consider race as a factor in admissions. Instead, students who wish to include their race or culture in their application must voluntarily provide the information in their personal essay.

Responding to the court’s decision to overturn a longstanding precedent, Biden said, “This is not a normal court.”

Harvard executives said in a letter that they would comply with the court’s decision, but emphasized that “deep and transformative teaching, learning, and inquiry depends on a community made up of people from diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences.”

Mr. Biden said he will direct the Department of Education to find ways to improve diversity without using race as a conscious factor in admissions and recruitment.

The Harvard Black Students Association called The court’s decision was “prejudicial,” adding that it “poses a significant threat to the future of the black community on our campus and beyond.”

“It is evident that the college application system cannot sustain a holistic assessment without considering how race profoundly affects our experiences, perspectives and identities in a multitude of ways,” it says.

Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP, said in a statement: “In a society still scarred by the wounds of racial disparity, the Supreme Court has displayed a willful ignorance of our reality.”

Affirmative action discussions have been a source of debate among Republicans and Democrats for years. Advocates believe there is a need to provide fair and equal opportunities for students of color as colleges have failed to create a diverse student body.

Those opposed to affirmative action believe it puts other students, such as white or Asian American students, at a disadvantage.

Donald Trump celebrated the verdict, saying it was the result “everyone was waiting for”. Post on Truth Social.

“We’re going back to being merit-based—and that’s the way it should be!” wrote the former president.

Mr Trump appointed three of the Court’s six Conservative Justices as President: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

His former Vice President Mike Pence also expressed his support for the court’s decision: tweet: “I am honored to have played a role in the appointment of three of the judges that led to today’s welcome decision.”

He added, “There is no place for racial discrimination in the United States, and I am pleased that the Supreme Court has put an end to this egregious violation of civil and constitutional rights in admissions processes, which has only served to perpetuate racism.” to maintain.” ”

The ruling is likely to have ramifications beyond higher education institutions, extending to elementary, middle and high schools, as well as workplaces and more, as it opens the floodgates to challenges in racial diversity programs.