How US Supreme Court ruling on race in admissions pitches minority against each other
Joe Biden said of the US Supreme Court, and he is right. The court's conservative supermajority has taken a hammer to everything liberal Americans hold sacred — most significantly, the affirmative action policies designed to correct the historic wrongs of slavery. In a 6-3 decision last week, the court essentially declared America colour-blind and no longer needing remedial measures.
Public and private colleges and universities can no longer use race to decide who gets in. Interestingly, it was Asian Americans who helped the court determine that race-conscious decisions designed to help Blacks hurt other minorities are unconstitutional. The court exempted military academies, citing their 'distinct interests'.
If diversity is good for the military, why not for universities? The judgment said nothing on de facto affirmative action for Whites — admissions for children of alumni/employees/donors or those excelling in elite sports. The court's supermajority might have looked at California, which banned affirmative action in public universities in 1996 because voters wanted it. Two years later, Black and Latino enrolment at two top universities in the state fell by 40%, according to a 2020 study.
An amicus brief by California chancellors explained the pitfalls of race-neutral admissions — a skewed student body unrepresentative of the outside world — but to no effect. The shrunken liberal minority of dissenting justices — all women — is in a losing battle. Affirmative action wasn't the only plank under attack last week.
Read more on economictimes.indiatimes.com
