Supreme Court ends race-conscious admissions in Students for Fair Admissions

The Supreme Court rules in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina on June 29, 2023, that the universities' race-conscious admissions programs violate equal protection principles and Title VI. Chief Justice John Roberts writes that universities may consider how race affected an applicant's life, but may not use race itself as a factor in admissions. The decision effectively overturns the Grutter framework that had allowed limited race-conscious admissions for diversity. The ruling sharply limits affirmative action in higher education and changes how colleges can respond to racial exclusion and inequality.