US top court bans colleges from considering race in admissions

Kathmandu: The United States Supreme Court has ruled that colleges must stop considering race as a factor in their admission policies, dealing a setback to so-called ‘affirmative action’ efforts aimed at boosting the enrolment of Black and Latino students at top universities.

The top court’s decision on Thursday came in response to lawsuits that challenged the policies of Harvard University and the University of North Carolina (UNC) by claiming race-conscious student admissions programmes discriminate against white and Asian-American applicants.

The ruling is the latest by the conservative-dominated court to advance right-wing political causes, and it could have significant implications for US college enrolment and diversity on campuses across the country.

President Joe Biden decried the court’s decision on Thursday, calling on universities to continue to advance diversity in spite of the ruling, by considering race-related factors like adversity.

‘I’ve always believed that the promise of America is big enough for everyone to succeed, and that every generation of Americans – we have benefited by opening the doors of opportunity just a little bit wider to include those who’ve been left behind,’ Biden told reporters.

He stressed that the top court bucked precedents– previous rulings that establish legal norms – in its decision on Thursday. ‘We cannot let this decision be the last word on it,’ Biden said.