Supreme Court narrows Title VI to specific programs in Grove City College v. Bell

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Grove City College v. Bell that Title IX — and by extension Title VI — applied only to the specific program or activity directly receiving federal aid, not to an institution as a whole. Justice Byron White wrote the majority; Grove City College received no direct federal funding, but students received Pell Grants triggering only financial aid program coverage. The ruling immediately gutted civil rights enforcement at universities, allowing discrimination in athletics, housing, and academics even when an institution received federal funds elsewhere.