Students for Fair Admissions Applauds Supreme Court's Decision to End Racial Preferences in College Admissions

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Jun 29, 2023, 11:01 ET

Students for Fair Admissions will hold a press conference today at 2 pm EST at the National Press Club in Washington DC (529 14th St NW, Washington, DC. Credentialed press only.

ARLINGTON, Va., June 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Edward Blum, the founder and president of Students for Fair Admissions made the following remarks:

"The opinion issued today by the United States Supreme Court marks the beginning of the restoration of the colorblind legal covenant that binds together our multi-racial, multi-ethnic nation.

"The polarizing, stigmatizing and unfair jurisprudence that allowed colleges and universities to use a student's race and ethnicity as a factor to admit or reject them has been overruled. These discriminatory admission practices undermined the integrity of our country's civil rights laws.

"Ending racial preferences in college admissions is an outcome that the vast majority of all races and ethnicities will celebrate. A university doesn't have real diversity when it simply assembles students who look different but come from similar backgrounds and act, talk, and think alike.

"Moreover, these opinions reestablish the founding principles of the 1964 Civil Rights Act which clearly forbids treating Americans differently by race. At the signing ceremony of the Act on July 2, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson said,

'The purpose of the law is simple. It does not restrict the freedom of any American, so long as he respects the rights of others. It does not give special treatment to any citizen. It does say the only limit to a man's hope for happiness, and for the future of his children, shall be his own ability….'

"Beginning today, America's colleges and universities have a legal and moral obligation to strictly abide by the Supreme Court's opinion. These obligations compel the removal of all racial and ethnic classification boxes from undergraduate and postgraduate application forms.

"Furthermore, the administrators of higher education must note: The law will not tolerate direct proxies for racial classifications. For those in leadership positions at public and private universities, you have a legal obligation to follow the letter and the spirit of the law.

"For decades, our nation's most elite universities have given preferences to the children of alumni, faculty and staff, athletes, and notably, substantial donors. These preferences have been vigorously defended by these exclusive schools even though court records revealed that they have diminished individualized student diversity at nearly every competitive school in the country. The elimination of these preferences is long overdue and SFFA hopes that these opinions will compel higher education institutions to end these practices.

"Looking ahead to the upcoming admissions cycle, SFFA and its counsel have been closely monitoring potential changes in admissions procedures should the Court reach a decision like the one today. We remain vigilant and intend to initiate litigation should universities defiantly flout this clear ruling and the dictates of Title VI and the Equal Protection Clause.

"This organization is deeply grateful to the lawyers who have pursued this litigation with skill and commitment. We are also grateful to the dozens of courageous young men and women who joined SFFA as high school seniors after they were rejected from Harvard and the University of North Carolina. Their dedication to the principles of equality has been inspirational."

Contact: Edward Blum, President
703-505-1922
[email protected]

SOURCE Students for Fair Admissions