SCOTUS strikes down affirmative action in college admissions 6-3 in Students for Fair Admissions

The Supreme Court rules 6-3 in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and v. University of North Carolina that race-conscious admissions programs violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Chief Justice John Roberts writes for the majority. The ruling overturns Grutter v. Bollinger (2003) and Bakke (1978), reversing 45 years of precedent allowing universities to consider race as one factor among many in admissions. Dissents from Justices Sotomayor and Jackson call the ruling a step backward for civil rights. College enrollment of Black and Hispanic students at selective universities begins declining.