The survival of affirmative action in higher education appeared to be in serious trouble Monday at a conservative-dominated Supreme Court after hours of debate over vexing questions of race.
Proponents for affirmative action in higher education rally in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on October 31, 2022 in Washington, DC.
Justice Clarence Thomas, the court's second Black justice, who has a long record of opposition to affirmative action programs and other conservative positions, noted he didn’t go to racially diverse schools, at one point saying, "I’ve heard the word ‘diversity’ quite a few times, and I don’t have a clue what it means." He also challenged defenders of affirmative action to "tell me what the educational benefits are.
Justice Samuel Alito likened affirmative action to a footrace in which a minority applicant gets to "start five yards closer to the finish line." But liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the court's first Hispanic member, rejected that comparison saying what universities are doing is looking at students as a whole.
But that was before the three appointees of former President Donald Trump joined. Jackson was chosen this year by President Joe Biden. Justice Neil Gorsuch pressed Ryan Park, a lawyer for North Carolina, on why colleges shouldn't be forced to eliminate those preferences, "which tend to favor the children of wealthy white parents," to see if it allowed them to increase diversity without considering race.
FILE - A view of Harvard Yard on the campus of Harvard University on July 8, 2020, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Trump files an emergency petition with Supreme Court to keep tax returns away from House DemocratsFormer President Donald Trump on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block a Democrat-led House Committee from accessing his tax returns.
Read more »
From Bakke to Fisher, evolution of affirmative action casesWhen the Supreme Court takes up the issue of affirmative action again Monday, it'll be for the second time in six years
Read more »
Supreme Court to hear case involving race-based affirmative action in admissionsThe challenge to UNC's policies are set to be heard in front of the Supreme Court at 10:00 Monday morning.
Read more »
From Bakke to Fisher, evolution of affirmative action casesWhen the Supreme Court takes up the issue of affirmative action again Monday, it'll be for the second time in six years.
Read more »
Affirmative action: Supreme Court hears arguments in disputes over race-conscious college admissionsThe Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Monday about one of the most challenging and controversial questions to reach its docket this year: whether colleges may consider the race of prospective students in the interest of diversity.
Read more »
Supreme Court takes up race-conscious college admissions | amNewYorkThe Supreme Court wrestled with persistent, difficult questions of race Monday, debating whether to end the use of affirmative action in higher education.
Read more »