US universities cannot prioritize admissions based on skin color. That was the decision of the Supreme Court in Washington on Thursday in a historic judgment that reflects the conservative majority among justices. The judges ruled that the practice, common for decades as “affirmative action”, violates the constitution. With this approach, universities have tried for decades to ensure better access to universities for minorities.
“The student should be treated on the basis of his experiences as an individual – not on the basis of his race,” wrote Conservative Judge John Roberts in his verdict. “Many universities have done the exact opposite for a long time. And in doing so, they have mistakenly concluded that the touchstone of a person’s identity is not the challenges overcome, the skills acquired or the lessons learned, but the color of their skin. .Our constitutional history does not condone this decision”.
In the United States, the term “race” (race) is used to distinguish population groups based on skin color. The decision concerned lawsuits brought by the student organization Students for Fair Admissions against the elite private university Harvard and North Carolina State University (UNC). The plaintiffs argue, among other things, that applicants with Asian roots are disadvantaged by the selection process, which is particularly targeted at African Americans.
Measures known as Affirmative Action were introduced in the 1960s as part of the civil rights movement in the United States. The goal was to give African Americans better access to good educational institutions after centuries of oppression, discrimination, and disadvantage.
However, such programs were controversial from the start. For example, white college applicants went to court on the grounds that they were victims of “reverse discrimination”. Critics also claim that taking into account skin color cements the division of people into different groups and therefore divides society.
In 1978, the Supreme Court ruled that universities should not use fixed quotas based on skin color when selecting candidates. However, skin color or ethnic origin can be used as one of several criteria to ensure diversity in the student body.
Now the court, which has moved to the right in recent years, has overturned the principle of affirmative action at universities. On the Supreme Court, conservative justices hold a majority of six of the nine seats.