Leftist politicians and pundits expressed rage on Thursday after a landmark Supreme Court decision was released that struck down the race-based admission policies of Harvard and the University of North Carolina.
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court court ruled that the race-based admissions programs at the schools violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, drawing the ire of prominent Democrat politicians and leftist commentators.
Former House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said the ruling diminished “hard-fought progress for racial justice.”
“Chief Justice Roberts’ majority opinion does violence to justice and fairness in America,” she wrote on Twitter. “In contrast, Justice Jackson’s powerful dissent is inspiring to us, as we continue to fight to widen the path to success for all Americans.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said the decision was “misguided.” “The Supreme Court ruling has put a giant roadblock in our country’s march for racial justice,” Schumer said. “The consequences of this decision will be felt immediately and across the country, as students of color will face an admission cycle next year with fewer opportunities to attend the same colleges and universities than their parents and older siblings.”
Former President Barack Obama said the court’s ruling would hamper minorities’ educational opportunities.
“Affirmative action was never a complete answer in the drive towards a more just society. But for generations of students who had been systematically excluded from most of America’s key institutions – it gave us the chance to show we more than deserved a seat at the table. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s recent decision, it’s time to redouble our effort,” Obama said.
ABC News commentator and former acting Democratic National Committee chair Donna Brazile said that the justices that supported the decision “whitewash the Constitution.”
“I am shocked by the fact that in the majority opinion, they basically whitewash the Constitution in a way that basically says we were right all along. The 14 Amendment, the equal protection clause, would guarantee us a color-blind society,” she said. “And now the most effective tool, an affirmative tool, to eliminate barriers, a tool that would give us opportunity is now weakened.”
ABC brought in Donna Brazile and it was quite the meltdown over the SCOTUS decision on affirmative action.
Watch and enjoy.
h/t: @RyanGirdusky pic.twitter.com/xiadN4T7IE
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) June 29, 2023
Activist and MSNBC commentator Al Sharpton also lamented the decision.
“I think that this is tantamount to sticking a dagger in our back because what they have said now is that it is unconstitutional to even consider race,” he said. “It is completely a throw to the wind the history of why we needed affirmative action in the first place.”
Al Sharpton weighing in on SCOTUS decision on Affirmative Action: "I think that this is tantamount to sticking a dagger in our back because what they have said now is that it is unconstitutional to even consider race…" pic.twitter.com/oCpbZDlXrm
— Kevin Tober (@KevinTober94) June 29, 2023
Princeton professor Eddie Glaude predicted “a kind of segregated higher education landscape” would emerge.
Eddie Glaude claims the country will "return" to "segregated" colleges and universities.
Sounding like a racist, he openly decries more Asian students getting admitted to institutions of higher education. pic.twitter.com/IeFFacFfUV— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) June 29, 2023
The majority opinion, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, said that universities could allow applicants to mention personal experiences of racism when applying for colleges, but that there could not be explicit policies based on the applicant’s race.
“Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it,” Roberts wrote in the opinion for the majority.
The ruling came after a group called Students for Fair Admissions sued the schools, accusing the institutions of unfairly factoring race into their admissions processes. The group pointed to the high test scores of Asian-American and white applicants who were rejected.
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The court’s decision was widely celebrated by conservatives, who said it was a win for merit-based academic admissions.
“Affirmative action is systemic discrimination. I’m thankful the Supreme Court held this discrimination violates the constitution [sic]. Admissions should be decided on merit — not by color of skin,” Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) wrote on Twitter.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said conservatives should be careful not to allow universities to get around the ruling.
“When the schools still take steps to accomplish the race-based objective, will we still fund higher ed at high levels and subsidize loans to those schools? Asking for a friend…,” he said.