06/29/2023 22:29 (act. 06/29/2023 22:30)
The Supreme Court of the United States ©GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA
The US Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that considerations of race or ancestry for university admission are unconstitutional. President Joe Biden criticized the verdict. In a televised speech, he said he “didn’t agree at all” with the decision. An area around the courthouse in Washington was temporarily cordoned off because of a suspicious package, and soon after, police cleared everything.
With its decision, the conservative-dominated court moved away from “decades of case law”, the Democratic Party politician said. “This decision should not be the last word.” The judge’s ruling against the practice known as affirmative action or positive discrimination was a “severe disappointment”.
Colleges must remain committed to a student body with “diverse backgrounds and diverse experiences that reflect all of America,” Biden said. This is also possible after the judgment of the Court of Justice. In addition, the Ministry of Education should examine how more diversity in the student body can be provided. “The truth is, and we all know it, discrimination still exists in America,” Biden said. “Today’s decision does not change that.”
In an interview with MSNBC shortly thereafter, the president harshly criticized the STF. This “is unrelated to the values of the American people,” Biden said. He rejected efforts by his Democrats to increase the number of Justices on the Supreme Court from nine to 13 in order to create a liberal counterweight to the conservative court appointments of recent years: “That could be a mistake.”
In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court previously prohibited universities from taking your skin color into account when selecting university applicants. The Supreme Court ruled that the practice violated the principle of equality enshrined in the constitution.
With Affirmative Action, universities have tried for decades to ensure better access for minorities – especially African Americans. Advocates of the practice argue that such an approach is still necessary due to persistent inequalities in society.
While politicians from Biden’s Democrats sharply criticized the court’s decision, it sparked jubilation from conservative Republicans. There it is argued that, when applying to universities, the only thing that counts is performance.