June 29

January 6 defendant arrested near Obama home after Trump posts address online

Taylor Taranto, a January 6 defendant, was arrested near former President Barack Obama's Washington, D.C. home with weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in his van. Prosecutors said Taranto had also threatened to blow up his van near a government facility and had made threats against members of Congress. The arrest came the same day Trump posted what he claimed was Obama's address online.

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Supreme Court ends affirmative action as Biden pledges to continue diversity in education

The Supreme Court rules 6-3 (6-2 for Harvard due to Jackson recusal) in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and v. UNC that race-conscious college admissions programs violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Chief Justice Roberts writes that college admission programs must be race-neutral. Justice Sotomayor's 69-page dissent argues the ruling "cements a superficial rule of colorblindness as a constitutional principle in an endemically segregated society." Biden calls the ruling a decision he "strongly, strongly disagrees" with, saying "We cannot let this decision be the last word." He directs HHS and DOJ to issue guidance within 45 days on what diversity practices remain lawful and urges colleges to consider adversity rather than race. Studies show Black and Hispanic enrollment at selective universities drops sharply following the ruling.

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.

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Supreme Court ends race-based college admissions 6-3 in SFFA v. Harvard and UNC

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and UNC on June 29, 2023, that race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Chief Justice John Roberts's majority held that universities could no longer consider race as a factor in admissions decisions, overturning the Grutter and Gratz precedents after 20 years. Justice Clarence Thomas's concurrence called for a fully colorblind Constitution, while Justice Sonia Sotomayor's dissent called the ruling a "deliberate disregard" of the reality of inequality.

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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.

Supreme Court Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard ends race-conscious college admissions

The Supreme Court rules 6-3 in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard that race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard University and University of North Carolina violate the Equal Protection Clause. Chief Justice John Roberts writes that admissions programs must treat students as individuals and cannot simply award points or preferences based on race. The decision overrules Grutter v. Bollinger (2003) and Bakke's diversity rationale, holding that the Equal Protection Clause does not permit universities to consider race. Justice Clarence Thomas' concurrence attacks affirmative action comprehensively. The ruling eliminates 45 years of legal authority for race-conscious diversity initiatives in higher education, marking a watershed moment in civil rights law and triggering a nationwide shift away from affirmative action.

NATO invites Finland and Sweden to join historic expansion after Russia invasion

NATO formally invites Finland and Sweden to join the alliance at its Madrid summit, ending both countries' decades-long policies of neutrality and military non-alignment. Finland and Sweden apply after Russia's invasion of Ukraine convinces both governments that neutrality no longer guarantees security. Finland officially becomes NATO's 31st member in April 2023, Sweden joins as the 32nd in March 2024. Russia calls the expansion a "direct threat." Putin's invasion of Ukraine achieves the opposite of his stated goal of preventing NATO enlargement, adding approximately 1,300 miles of new NATO-Russia border.

Supreme Court rules CFPB single-director structure violates separation of powers in Seila Law

The Supreme Court held 5-4 in Seila Law LLC v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that the CFPB's single director, removable only for "inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance," violated separation of powers. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion joined by Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh; Kagan dissented for Ginsburg, Breyer, and Sotomayor. The Court severed the for-cause removal restriction rather than striking down the agency, leaving the bureau intact but allowing the president to fire the director at will.

Supreme Court rules 5-4 in Miller v. Johnson that race cannot be the predominant factor in drawing districts

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Miller v. Johnson that Georgia used race as the predominant factor in drawing its 11th Congressional District, an irregularly shaped district stretching 260 miles from Atlanta to the Atlantic, violating the Equal Protection Clause. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that plaintiffs must show race predominated over traditional redistricting principles, triggering strict scrutiny. The ruling struck down a DOJ policy of maximizing the number of majority-minority districts and put the post-1992 wave of majority-Black Southern districts on uncertain constitutional footing.

SCOTUS Upholds Independent Counsel Law 7-1 in Morrison v. Olson

The Supreme Court ruled 7-1 in Morrison v. Olson that the independent counsel statute was constitutional, rejecting the Reagan administration's challenge that it violated separation of powers. Chief Justice Rehnquist wrote the majority opinion upholding the law. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the sole dissent, predicting the statute would be abused to harass executive officials with no political accountability for the investigator.

Congress amends Section 2 of Voting Rights Act to add results test, reversing Mobile v. Bolden

Congress amends Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act on June 29, 1982, overturning the Supreme Court's 1980 ruling in Mobile v. Bolden, which had held that plaintiffs must prove intentional racial discrimination to win a Section 2 claim. The 1982 amendment creates a "results test," allowing plaintiffs to win if a voting practice results in minority voters having less opportunity to participate in the political process — regardless of whether discrimination was intentional. The same reauthorization extends Section 5 preclearance for 25 more years. The results test shifts most Section 2 vote-dilution litigation away from preclearance lawsuits and toward direct court challenges.

Reagan signs VRA 25-year reauthorization extending preclearance and adding results test to Section 2

President Reagan signs a 25-year reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, extending the Section 5 preclearance requirement to 2007 and amending Section 2 to establish a "results test", allowing plaintiffs to challenge voting laws that result in discrimination even without proving discriminatory intent. The results test responds to a 1980 Supreme Court ruling (Mobile v. Bolden) that had required proof of intentional discrimination. The reauthorization passes Congress with strong bipartisan majorities.

Congress strengthens Voting Rights Act results test after Bolden

President Ronald Reagan signs the 1982 Voting Rights Act amendments on June 29, 1982. The amendments restore a results-based test for Section 2 after the Supreme Court's Mobile v. Bolden decision made intent harder to prove. The revised law allows voting-rights plaintiffs to challenge election practices that result in racial vote dilution, even without proving discriminatory intent. It also extends key provisions of the Act. Congress strengthens one of the most important tools for fighting racial discrimination in voting.

Congress Restores VRA Section 2 Results Test After Mobile v. Bolden

Congress passed a bipartisan amendment to the Voting Rights Act restoring the "results test" for Section 2 claims, overturning the intent standard the Supreme Court had imposed in Mobile v. Bolden two years earlier. The Senate passed the amendment 85-8 and the House 389-24, sending an unambiguous message that Congress intended Section 2 to reach voting practices with discriminatory effects, not just those proven to have discriminatory purpose. President Reagan signed the bill despite personal reservations about the results standard, under pressure from Senate Republicans including Robert Dole.