Ranking Member Scott Statement on SCOTUS Ruling on Affirmative Action

Statement

"The Supreme Court has long held that our nation has a compelling interest in fostering racially diverse campuses. Holistic college admissions practices that narrowly tailor the use of race as one of many factors in evaluating prospective students are a key to fostering such diversity in higher education. Such admissions policies not only support historically underserved students--research confirms that diverse campuses also provide all students with a quality, well-rounded education. Today the Supreme Court decided, with little regard for the repercussions, that institutions of higher education cannot pursue these compelling interests.

"Regrettably, the Supreme Court's decision to end the consideration of race as a factor in college admissions is a significant setback in our effort to eliminate disparities in access to higher education and ensure diverse learning environments for all students. It is now imperative that we review other facets in college admissions that research shows are racially discriminatory and have a disparate impact and determine if they too need to be eliminated, given today's ruling.

"Race-conscious admissions policies provided a counterbalance to these discriminatory factors--such as inequitable K-12 schools, racially biased admissions tests, and developmental and legacy admissions--that all marginalize students of color. Now that the Court has invalidated that balance, I call on the Attorney General to start filing cases now against any current school practices that violate the Equal Protection Clause and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act because they have discriminatory impact."

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