© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Members of a diverse student body at the University of North Carolina gather on campus as the Supreme Court considers the issue of allowing people to attend sex schools, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, US, April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Jonathan Drake
By Gabriella Borter
(Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule by the end of June on the legality of racially charged admissions policies at colleges and universities, the so-called affirmative action system used by most selective schools.
Here’s a look at some of the key players in the case.
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is the oldest university in the US. Harvard was sued in 2014 by the anti-affirmative action group Students for Fair Admissions, which accused Harvard of unlawful discrimination against Asian Americans who applied for admission. Harvard has said the case is politically motivated and has defended its admissions process, which is considered based on several factors. The lawsuit accused Harvard of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin under any program or activity that receives federal funding.
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a prominent humanities research university. It is the flagship school of the 16-campus UNC system and the oldest university in the US. Students for Fair Admissions sued UNC in 2014, alleging that the Chapel Hill school illegally discriminated against white and Asian enrollees. The school denies the allegations and, like Harvard, has defended its goal of enrolling a diverse student body. The lawsuit accused the university of violating the US Constitution’s 14th guarantee of equal protection under the law.
STUDENTS ARE WELL TAKEN CARE OF
Students for Fair Admissions is a non-profit organization founded in 2014 by activist Edward Blum, who fought against admissions policies. This group takes cases of college applicants who allege they were wrongfully rejected by a college or university because of race.
EDWARD BLUM
The founder of Students for Fair Admissions, Blum has said she is on a mission to eliminate racial preferences that seek to promote diversity in American life. He began his legal career challenging race-based admissions in 2008, when he litigated the case of Abigail Fisher, a white student who felt she had been discriminated against by being rejected by the University of Texas. The Supreme Court upheld the University of Texas’ admissions policy in that case, but the court’s composition has changed, moving to the far right.
LAWYERS’ COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
The Lawyers’ Committee is a non-profit organization founded in 1963 with the goal of fighting for the rights of minority groups in the US. The group has represented students, prospective students and alumni at Harvard and UNC for nearly a decade as they defend campus admissions policies.