Supreme Court Restricts Universities From Considering Race in Admissions

The Supreme Court ruled on June 29 that universities’ affirmative action policies, which use race as a factor in making admissions decisions, violate a clause of the Constitution establishing that all U.S. citizens are entitled to equal protection under the law.

In the six-to-three majority opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts, the court stated that universities may still consider how race has affected an applicant’s life so long as it is tied to individual experiences, such as those illuminated in personal application essays.

The Association of American Universities argued the ruling upends previous decisions by the court and mistakenly implies that the admissions criteria in question reduced applicants solely to their race or ethnicity. Although the current ruling is focused on university admissions, future litigation could target other activities such as hiring practices.

Various scientific societies, including AIP, reacted to the ruling by reaffirming their commitment to pursuing diversity initiatives.