The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down affirmative action in college admissions, declaring race cannot be a factor and forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.
The court’s conservative majority overturned admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, the nation’s oldest private and public colleges, respectively.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong immediately released a statement saying the U.S. Supreme Court decision is “undercutting more than four decades of precedent allowing higher education institutions to consider race or ethnicity as part of holistic admissions processes to promote diversity in learning environments.”
“The Supreme Court majority got it all wrong – our Constitution’s meaning, our history, and the enduring reality of discrimination in this country,” Tong said in the statement. “The Fourteenth Amendment was written to bring justice to Black Americans after centuries of brutal slavery. It remains a bulwark against discrimination. It doesn’t blind us to race. Instead, it demands that we stay alert to the painful reality of racism. And it leaves private and public colleges and universities free to promote racial and ethnic diversity. Today is a gut punch. But even a hostile Supreme Court cannot bend the arc of the moral universe away from justice.”
“As a Chinese-American, let me just say that efforts to pit Asian-American students against their classmates and friends are deeply hurtful and unhelpful. To the right-wing extremists using families like mine to advance your own hate-based agenda: you do not speak for me. I have benefited throughout my life from programs that recognize the value of diversity. Those opportunities lift us all. Diversity matters. In the workplace, in our communities, in our schools at every grade and level, we all benefit from the perspectives and experiences of those who are different from us. Refusing to acknowledge or address race does not make racism go away.”
Tong said he had filed an amicus brief in the cases Students For Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College and Students For Fair Admissions, Inc v. University of North Carolina, urging the Court “to reaffirm its prior rulings in Grutter v. Bollinger, Gratz v. Bollinger, and Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin that found that a holistic race-conscious admissions policy is constitutional when necessary to give students the educational benefits of diversity.
“In the brief, the coalition of 20 attorneys general contend that the ability to work and serve diverse populations is critical to meeting the needs of their residents – in delivering health care, in educating students, and leading and staffing businesses and government institutions,” Tong said in the statement.
Chief Justice John Roberts said that for too long universities 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.”
Justice Clarence Thomas, the nation’s second Black justice who had long called for an end to affirmative action, wrote separately that the decision “sees the universities’ admissions policies for what they are: rudderless, race-based preferences designed to ensure a particular racial mix in their entering classes.”
Stephanie Reitz, spokesperson for the University of Connecticut, said UConn is still reviewing the ruling.
“UConn is disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision, but needs time to fully examine and understand its ramifications before issuing a more comprehensive response,” Reitz said.
Connecticut State Colleges and Universities Chancellor Terrence Cheng said Thursday he did not expect the ruling to have a significant impact on CSCU or its institutions, he believes it should “be alarming for all of us in higher education, chiefly because race-conscious admissions are by far the most effective means of increasing diversity at selective schools.”
“We know this from experience. After California voters passed Proposition 209 banning affirmative in 1996, the percentage of Black and Latino students in UCLA and UC Berkley’s next first-year class plummeted by nearly half,” he said. “Despite more than two decades of intensive and expensive efforts, the UC system continues to be less diverse than the state’s demographic makeup. Unfortunately, we can expect similar results at selective institutions in Connecticut.”
Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in dissent that the decision “rolls back decades of precedent and momentous progress.”
Yale University President Peter Salovey said it would “take some time” to fully consider the implications of the Court’s decisions and review the school’s admissions policies in light of the rulings.
Salovey said in a statement that “despite my strong disagreement with the Court’s decisions,” he is committed to the rule of law and all Yale admissions policies will be reviewed to ensure compliance with the law “as interpreted by the Supreme Court.”
“As we do this work, I write today to reaffirm Yale’s unwavering commitment to creating and sustaining a diverse and inclusive community. This principle is core to our mission of teaching aspiring leaders to serve all sectors of society and improving the world through research and scholarship, education, preservation, and practice. We will continue to foster diversity in its many dimensions and will use all lawful means to achieve it.
Connecticut Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz also called the ruling a choice to “dismantle decades of settled law, legislating from behind the bench and effectively derailing years of progress.
“Racism and discrimination remain rampant in our country, and it is incumbent on us all to promote diversity, inclusion – and equitable access to opportunity,” Bysiewicz said in a statement.
“Our students benefit from learning among those who come from different backgrounds and experiences, and here in Connecticut we will continue to support efforts that help to promote inclusion and equity at our colleges and universities. Our administration, with our legislative and agency partners, remain committed to leading the way in addressing systemic racism and fighting discrimination at all levels.”
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., termed the ruling a “a major blow to the fight for equality and racial justice” that also puts up a barrier “to underrepresented minority students from accessing a world-class education and the American dream.”
“Diversity has helped make our higher educationtn system the best in the world. Racially diverse classrooms benefit all students,” the state’s senior senator said in a statement.
” After decades of progress, the Supreme Court has taken a massive step backwards which will harm students of color, exacerbate racial disparities, and sideline the perspectives and lived experiences of millions of Americans,” he said.
Blumenthal also called the ruling “misguided” and said it “is just the latest example of the activist conservative Justices’ willingness to overturn settled precedents and discount democratic values in pursuit of their ideological policy agenda.”
The amicus brief supporting Harvard and the University of North Carolina Blumenthal and 15 current and former U.S. Senators filed is here.
Cheng said he also is “deeply concerned about the court’s potential willingness to strike down affirmative action in employment.” If this step were taken, it “would cause significant harm to CSCU’s efforts to foster a workforce that is reflective of the state and student body we serve,” he said.
Cheng said, “the removal of our colleague institutions’ most effective tool in undermining a legacy of structural racism is a serious step in the wrong direction and will result in furthering societal inequities.”
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CT attorney general: U.S. Supreme Court 'got it all wrong' on college admissions ruling - Hartford Courant
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