Supreme Court Strikes Down College Admissions Programs Which Give Preference Based On Race

On June 29, 2023, in an opinion written by Chief Justice Roberts, which five other justices joined, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina because they considered race as a factor in admitting applicants. The Court held that the programs violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The Court began with the principle that under the Equal Protection Clause "no State shall deny to any person . . . the equal protection of the laws." The Court then cited earlier precedent reflecting the "core purpose" of the Equal Protection Clause: "doing away with all governmentally imposed discrimination based on race."