In their words: NC leaders react to Supreme Court striking down affirmative action in college admissions
Colleges can no longer consider applicants’ race during the admissions process, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
The court ruled 6-3 that the practice violated the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause under the 14th Amendment. The long-anticipated ruling stemmed from a challenge to the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill’s admissions process and a challenge to Harvard University’s admissions process.
]Many colleges for decades have considered race among several factors in determining whether to admit a student, an effort borne out of desegregation orders and attempts to better integrate majority-white colleges, known as “affirmative action.”
Here's reaction to Thursday's opinion.
Kevin M. Guskiewicz, UNC-Chapel Hill chancellor: “While not the outcome we hoped for, we respect the Supreme Court’s decision and will follow its guidance. Carolina is committed to bringing together talented students with different perspectives and life experiences and to making an affordable, high-quality education accessible to the people of North Carolina and beyond. We are passionately public, and that will always be true. Our strategic plan’s first initiative is to ‘Build our Community Together.’ We will build that community with you and work to provide a campus environment where all of our students know they belong and can thrive.”
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper: “This decision undermines decades of progress made across the country to reduce systemic discrimination and promote diversity on campuses which is an important part of a quality education. Campus leaders will now have to work even harder to ensure that North Carolinians of all backgrounds are represented in higher education and to ensure strong, diverse student bodies at our colleges and universities to train the next generation of leaders for North Carolina and the nation.”
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson: “The recent Supreme Court ruling on Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina is a positive step in the push for equality and opportunity in our nation. By announcing this ruling, the Supreme Court is allowing all North Carolina students the opportunity to compete fairly in higher education. I am proud to have signed on to the amicus brief that supported this ruling, and my office will continue to work to ensure all students in our state and nation have the same access to higher education, regardless of race or ethnicity. Thank you to everyone involved who helped make this historic day possible.”
U.S. President Joe Biden: “I’ve always believed that the promise of America is big enough for everyone to succeed and that every generation of Americans, we have benefitted by opening the doors of opportunity just a little bit wider to include those who have been left behind. I believe our colleges are stronger when they are racially diverse. Our nation is stronger because we use what we — because we are tapping into the full range of talent in this nation. I also believe that while talent, creativity, and hard work are everywhere across this country, not equal opportunity. It is not everywhere across this country. We cannot let this decision be the last word. I want to emphasize: We cannot let this decision be the last word. While the Court can render a decision, it cannot change what America stands for.”
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris: “Today’s Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina is a step backward for our nation. It rolls back long-established precedent and will make it more difficult for students from underrepresented backgrounds to have access to opportunities that will help them fulfill their full potential.”
U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.: “The Supreme Court made the right decision today. Colleges should not be able to discriminate against applicants based on the color of their skin.”
U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce: “Today’s decision by the Supreme Court is a welcome victory for countless students across the country — academia’s ivory towers should not divide and promote preferences based on the color of one’s skin. In America, fairness is the key to educational opportunity, where one’s success is judged by merit rather than arbitrary quotas. Postsecondary education has been plagued by affirmative action for far too long, and I’m pleased that the Supreme Court has finally upheld the equal protection of students. Fairness and merit will finally receive the due deference they deserve. “Congress can build on this decision by the Supreme Court to craft solutions that build on the idea of fairness to ensure that all students, regardless of their financial background or life circumstances, have access to high-quality postsecondary education options.”
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland: “The Supreme Court’s decision undercuts efforts by universities across the country to create a diverse group of graduates prepared to lead in an increasingly diverse nation. It will significantly set back efforts to advance educational opportunity for all Americans. And it upends nearly 50 years of precedent. The Department of Justice remains committed to promoting student diversity in higher education using all available legal tools. In the coming weeks, we will work with the Department of Education to provide resources to college and universities on what admissions practices and programs remain lawful following the Court’s decision.”
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein: “Students learn best when they are exposed to a wide variety of perspectives and backgrounds. I believe that our schools and businesses should reflect the full strength and richness of our state's diversity. That’s when North Carolina is at its greatest.”
U.S. Rep. Valerie Foushee, D-N.C.: “Today’s ruling is devastating and will dismantle the race-conscious admissions efforts to ensure that higher education is accessible to all students – especially Black students and students of color who are historically disadvantaged. Ending affirmative action in our colleges and universities is not only a step backwards in establishing a more equitable society, but the repercussions of this decision will be felt for generations. Diversity makes our nation stronger, and all students deserve equal opportunity to a quality education, regardless of their income or their racial and ethnic background.”
U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross, D-N.C.: “Once again, the conservative majority on the Supreme Court has overturned decades of legal precedent and undercut the important progress we’ve made towards racial equity. Students of color often face unique barriers to accessing institutions of higher education, and affirmative action has played a critical role in remedying lingering injustices. Promoting racial diversity on college campuses unlocks more opportunities for communities of color and supports the education of all students. Today, the Supreme Court has seriously jeopardized our nation’s painful progress towards equality in education.”
U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C.: “Today’s Supreme Court ruling is a major step forward in creating a fair admissions process for future generations of Americans seeking higher education. Equal protection means we are all individuals who should be judged on our merit, not our skin color.”
Duke University President Vincent E. Price: “Duke’s position continues to be that diversity is absolutely vital to our educational mission—everyone in our community, and the work they do, benefits from differing perspectives, opinions, and life experiences. We remain steadfastly committed to cultivating a racially and socially equitable Duke to the fullest extent permitted by the law.”
Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee: “Republicans stand for parents, students, and merit-based admissions that help kids achieve their potential. Discriminating against any student based on their race causes irreparable harm to families trying to achieve the American Dream, and we applaud today’s decision.”
North Carolina Democratic Party Chairwoman Anderson Clayton: “Today’s decision attempts to roll back decades worth of progress on reducing systemic discrimination and promoting diversity, particularly on our college campuses. North Carolina Democrats agree with the dissent of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson in recognizing that, regardless of the Supreme Court’s decision, systemic racial discrimination is a reality for millions of Americans every single day. Codifying colorblindness into law cannot alter that fact. We must renew our commitment to racial equity, and we will continue working to ensure that North Carolinians of all races are able to access the benefits of the best public universities in the nation.”
North Carolina Rep. John Hardister, R-Guilford: “I applaud the decision made by the Supreme Court regarding affirmative action on college campuses. People should be treated equally, regardless of immutable characteristics. We should judge people on their merits, not the color of their skin. No matter how well-intentioned, race-based admissions promote racial discrimination and cause division in our society. If we want to move forward as a more just nation, we need to stop this sordid affair of dividing ourselves based on race. This ruling is a positive step towards fairness and equality in our society.”
Kristi Graunke, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina: “Students should continue to discuss race and their lived experiences in the college admissions process. The decisions should not prevent colleges and universities from inquiring about such experiences in relation to their university missions. Nothing in the Court’s decisions in these cases should prevent that. We must invest in pathways that increase access to opportunities for students across all races and ethnicities, and address discrimination and systemic racial inequalities that persist.”
Kenny Xu, president of Color Us United and a board member at Students for Fair Admissions: “These Supreme Court rulings are a victory in the fight to restore merit and equal opportunity to the college admissions process. Top schools have been rigging the game in the name of diversity for too long. The landmark decisions confirm that using racial preferences to choose applicants is not only unfair, but unconstitutional. We need to keep holding schools accountable to help ensure that all of the best and brightest students get the fair shot they deserve, regardless of race.”
Reggie Shuford, executive director of the North Carolina Justice Center: “The discussion about race and education equity in North Carolina will continue. The NC Justice Center remains deeply committed to ensuring that every North Carolinian receives a fair and equitable education from early childhood onward. Our organization will redouble our efforts advocating for equitable educational opportunities in this state and for educational institutions to take all necessary actions to achieve that result within the constraints of the law.”
Matt Schlaap, chairman of the Conservative Political Action Committee: “While today’s decision is an important step, racial bias of all types must be eliminated from all institutions in our society, whether they go by the name of affirmative action or fall under the newest Leftist moniker of ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI). To do otherwise – no matter how well-intentioned -- simply fosters the ‘soft bigotry of low expectations.’”
Former U.S. Rep Mark Walker, R-N.C.: “All North Carolinians are created equal. Today, the US Supreme Court upheld this obvious principle that Josh Stein sought to undermine. As your Governor, I will fight for equality for all and ensure that our universities comply.”
