On June 29, in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Harvard College (SFFA), the U.S. Supreme Court decreed by a vote of 6-3 that the admissions systems at the University of North Carolina (UNC) and Harvard College were racially discriminatory, in violation of the 14th Amendment and of Title VI. The case effectively overturned almost five decades of legal precedent allowing colleges and universities to consider the race of applicants as one of many factors in a holistic admissions review process.
“Both programs lack sufficiently focused and measurable objectives warranting the use of race, unavoidably employ race in a negative manner, involve racial stereotyping, and lack meaningful end points,” stated Chief Justice John Roberts for the majority. “We have never permitted admissions programs to work in that way, and we will not do so today.”
On the other hand, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, writing in dissent, stated:
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