Supreme Court to hear oral arguments regarding Affirmative Action
Both cases concern raced based admissions, better known as Affirmative Action, that have long been the topic of heated debate in the U.S.
Earlier this month, Campus Reform reported on a poll showing a majority of Americans do not support Affirmative Action policies.
On Monday, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments between the Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina.
Both cases concern raced based admissions, better known as Affirmative Action, that have long been the topic of heated debate in the U.S.
The University of North Carolina’s (UNC) case will be heard at 10 a.m. EST with Harvard University’s (HU) case scheduled for 11 a.m. EST.
Monday’s oral arguments begin the final stages of an 8-year lawsuit filed on Nov. 17, 2014, led by anti-affirmative action lobbyist Edward Blum and the non-profit Student for Fair Admissions (SFFA).
SFFA launched a website named HarvardNotFair.org, which called upon students who have been “denied admission to Harvard” due to race or ethnicity to join their efforts to remove Affirmative Action from college campuses.
[RELATED: Supreme Court sets date for UNC, Harvard affirmative action cases]
The same day, SFFA filed another lawsuit against UNC arguing that the “admissions policies and procedures have injured and continue to injure Plaintiff’s members by intentionally and unconstitutionally discriminating against them on the basis of their race and ethnicity.”
Blum told Campus Reform., “It is the hope of SFFA, and a significant majority of Americans of all races, that the Supreme Court forbids the use of race and ethnicity in college admissions. That outcome will begin the restoration of our nation’s constitutional colorblind legal covenant.”
Earlier this month, Campus Reform reported on a poll showing a majority of Americans do not support Affirmative Action policies.
The CRC Research poll found that 59% of the nation disapproved of a university basing admission on race or ethnicity. 12% of the country remained unsure, leaving just 29% fully supporting the policies.
[RELATED: Ithaca College makes racial database for faculty]
Recently sworn-in Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is expected to sit in on the UNC case but recused herself from the HU case due to having served on the Board of Overseers and being an alumnus of the school.
The Court announced in July that the two cases would be heard separately paving the way for Justice Jackson to weigh in on UNC’s case.
Campus Reform contacted Harvard, UNC, SFA, Blum, and the Supreme Court for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
Follow @kliseanderson on Twitter.
