SCOTUS Affirms It Will Act on Affirmative Action

⚖️ Yesterday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a pair of challenges to race-conscious admission policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, which could shape the future of affirmative action in higher education.

• The lawsuits were filed in 2014 by a group called Students for Fair Admissions, which alleges both schools violated federal civil rights law by using quota-like standards for student diversity that artificially raised the bar for admission for Asian-Americans.
• Under the Trump administration, the Justice Department supported the lawsuit. But last month, the Biden-led DOJ filed a legal brief offering support for Harvard and urging the Court to turn away the challenge.
• Both schools deny the allegations, saying they consider race as one of many different factors when evaluating applicants. They also cited Supreme Court precedent and lower courts' unanimous rulings in their favor.

+Looking ahead: The Supreme Court is expected to consider the two cases in its next term, which starts in October. Under that timeline, its ruling will likely come around June 2023.

+Go deeper: From the Left | From the Right | What is affirmative action?