The remarks came hours after the Supreme Court struck down race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, a blow to affirmative action in higher education.
In its 6-3 Opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts, the Court found that universities discriminated against white and Asian American applicants by using racially sensitive admissions policies that benefited applicants from underrepresented backgrounds.
Roberts was joined by the court’s five Conservative justices, with the three Liberal justices dissenting. The chief justice noted in his decision that the court did not prohibit schools from considering applicants’ experiences related to race, but stressed that this should not create a loophole for explicit consideration of race.
« Nothing in this opinion should be interpreted as prohibiting universities from considering discussing an applicant’s how race has affected his or her life, whether through discrimination, inspiration or otherwise, » Roberts wrote. « But, despite dissent’s claim to the contrary, universities cannot simply establish through question essays or other means the regime we deem illegal today. »
