Supreme Court rules against affirmative action

By WVUA 23 News Student Reporter Peyton Newman

In a divided decision Thursday morning, the Supreme Court ruled affirmative action in college admissions is unconstitutional.

Affirmative action has the goal of bringing equal opportunity to underrepresented groups. It has been a part of the collegiate admission process since 2003.

Lisa Young, president of Tuscaloosa County’s NAACP chapter, explains why affirmative action is so crucial to minority groups.

“When you think about race conscious policies, what it does is forces those institutions to take a look at their practices, look at their numbers statistically, and provide ways for underrepresented populations, specifically students of color, to receive a fair opportunity,” Young said.

Affirmative action has significantly increased representation of underrepresented groups in Ivy League institutions. 27% of those campus populations were “nonwhite” in 2010. Contrarily, in 2021, 35% of these campus populations were of minority descent, according to the Associated Press.

Young hopes this decision will be challenged in court, resulting in a different outcome.

Affirmative action may be considered unconstitutional, but activists are asking admission boards to consider other factors during the application process to assist underrepresented groups.

Young shares her message to these admission boards.

“If you want the best and the brightest, if you want to give everyone a fair opportunity. Then you will make sure that there are provisions in your admission policies that seek to diversify your admissions,” Young said. “Making sure that you have students represented from all communities.”

University of Michigan and University of California have already filed briefs with the Supreme Court that their alternative methods of diversity have fallen short of their goals, according to Reuters news.

–LS–