Blumenthal Statement on the Supreme Court's Decision Prohibiting the Consideration of Race in College Admissions

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) released the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina, rejecting the consideration of race during the college admissions process:

“Diversity has helped make our higher education system the best in the world. Racially diverse classrooms benefit all students. With this decision, the Court has dealt a major blow to the fight for equality and racial justice—impeding underrepresented minority students from accessing a world-class education and the American dream. After decades of progress, the Supreme Court has taken a massive step backwards which will harm students of color, exacerbate racial disparities, and sideline the perspectives and lived experiences of millions of Americans.”

“This misguided ruling is just the latest example of the activist conservative Justices’ willingness to overturn settled precedents and discount democratic values in pursuit of their ideological policy agenda. Dissents from Justices Sotomayor and Jackson powerfully demonstrate that race-conscious admissions policies are constitutional and appropriate to advance the guarantee of equality enshrined in the Equal Protection Clause.”

Last year, Blumenthal led 15 current and former U.S. Senators in an amicus brief supporting Harvard and the University of North Carolina. The brief can be found here.

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