US Supreme Court strikes down university race-conscious admissions policies

Published

2 years ago

June 29, 2023

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WASHINGTON – The US Supreme Court on Thursday struck down race-conscious student admissions programmes currently used at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina (UNC).

It is a sharp setback to affirmative action policies often used to increase the number of Black, Hispanic and other under-represented minority groups on campuses.

The justices ruled in favour of a group called Students for Fair Admissions, founded by anti-affirmative action activist Edward Blum, in its appeal of lower court rulings upholding programmes used at the two prestigious schools to foster a diverse student population.

The decision, powered by the courts conservative justices with the liberal justices in dissent, was 6-3 against the University of North Carolina and 6-2 against Harvard. Liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson did not participate in the Harvard case.

The affirmative action cases represented the latest major rulings powered by the Supreme Courts conservative majority.

The court in June 2022 overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that had legalised abortion nationwide and widened gun rights in a pair of landmark rulings.

Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, said, Harvard and UNC admissions programmes cannot be reconciled with the guarantees of the Equal Protection Clause, referring to the US Constitutions promise of equal protection under the law.

At the same time, Justice Roberts said, as all parties agree, nothing in this opinion should be construed as prohibiting universities from considering an applicants discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise.

Many institutions of higher education, corporations and military leaders have long backed affirmative action on campuses.

The move had been not simply to remedy racial inequity and exclusion in American life, but to ensure a talent pool that can bring a range of perspectives to the workplace and US armed forces ranks.

According to Harvard, around 40 per cent of US colleges and universities consider race in some fashion.

Harvard and UNC have said they use race as only one factor in a host of individualised evaluations for admission without quotas permissible under previous Supreme Court precedents.

They said curbing its consideration would cause a significant drop in enrolment of students from under-represented groups.

Critics, who have tried to topple these policies for decades, argue these policies are themselves discriminatory.

Many US conservatives and Republican elected officials have argued that giving advantages to one race is unconstitutional, regardless of the motivation or circumstances. More On This Topic Need a university degree to get a good job? Not for much longer How many uni places are there for S'poreans? Is there a quota for poly grads? Some have advanced the argument that remedial preferences are no longer needed because the US has moved beyond racist policies of the past such as segregation and is becoming increasingly diverse.

The dispute presented the Supreme Courts conservative majority an opportunity to overturn its prior rulings allowing race-conscious admissions policies.

Mr Blums group in lawsuits filed in 2014 accused UNC of discriminating against white and Asian-American applicants, and Harvard of bias against Asian-American applicants.

Students for Fair Admissions alleged that the adoption by UNC, a public university, of an admissions policy that is not race-neutral, violates the guarantee to equal protection of the law under the US Constitutions 14th Amendment.

The group contended Harvard, a private university, violated Title VI of a landmark federal law called the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars discrimination based on race, colour or national origin under any programme or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

Lower courts rejected the groups claims.

That decision prompted appeals to the US Supreme Court, asking the justices to overturn a key precedent holding that colleges could consider race as one factor in the admissions process because of the compelling interest of creating a diverse student body.

Affirmative action has withstood Supreme Court scrutiny for decades, most recently in a 2016 ruling involving a white student, backed by Mr Blum, who sued the University of Texas after being rejected for admission.

The Supreme Court has shifted rightwards since 2016 and now includes three justices who dissented in the University of Texas case and three new appointees by former Republican president Donald Trump. REUTERS More On This Topic NUS and NTU among top 5 Asian universities in Times rankings NUS enters top 10 in global university ranking for the first time

Politics

Reform UK tops landmark poll for first time

Published

58 mins ago

February 3, 2025

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Reform UK tops landmark poll for first time

Reform have topped a Sky News/YouGov poll for the first time as the party continues to shake up British politics.

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has edged in front on 25%, with Labour pushed into second on 24% and the Tories on 21%.

The YouGov poll, taken on Sunday and Monday, also puts the Lib Dems on 14% and Greens on 9%.

Watch and follow reaction and analysis live in the Politics Hub

All the polling moves that push Reform UK to the top for the first time this week are within the margin of error and the overall picture remains unchanged – with Britain in a new period of three party politics in the polls.

However, the symbolism of Reform UK topping the poll is likely to be seized on by MPs from all parties.

One in five Tory voters at the last election would now vote for Reform.

The Tories are likely to be the hardest hit by the poll, having been in third place since YouGov restarted polling after the general election.

The Sky News/YouGov poll also found Kemi Badenoch has slipped behind Nigel Farage when voters are asked whether they have a favourable or unfavourable opinion of the leaders.

Last month, Badenoch has a net favourability rating of -25, but that has now dropped to -29 this month.

This puts her below Farage, who had a net favourability rating of -32 last month, which has now risen to -27 this month.

Keir Starmer is less popular than both Farage and Badenoch, with his net favourability rating now at -36.

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey is much more popular, with his net favourability rating now at -9 – although this is not directly translated across into voting intention.

These figures are likely to restart the debate in the Tory party about whether they should consider merging with Reform UK, something which Badenoch has repeatedly rejected.

A total of 43% of those polled who voted Tory in the last general election support a merger, compared with 31% against.

Reform UK voters are more likely to oppose, with 40% against and 31% for.

Politics

Starmer must delicately balance his risky EU reset as UK braces for Trump’s next move on tariffs

Published

58 mins ago

February 3, 2025

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Starmer must delicately balance his risky EU reset as UK braces for Trump's next move on tariffs

As Donald Trump kicks off his threatened trade war by slapping tariffs on both friends and foes alike, Number 10 is preparing for the moment he turns his attention to the UK.

The unpredictability of the returning president, emboldened by a second term, means the prime minister must plan for every possible scenario.

Under normal circumstances, the special relationship might be the basis for special treatment but the early signs suggest, maybe not.

It was never going to be an easy ride, with Sir Keir Starmer’s top team racking up years of insults against Trump when they were in opposition.

The bad feeling continued when Peter Mandelson was proposed as the UK’s new ambassador to the US – prompting speculation he might even be vetoed.

Amid all of this, the much-anticipated call between the two leaders seemed slow to take place, although it was cordial when POTUS finally picked up the phone last Sunday, with a trip to Washington to come “soon”.

It is against this slightly tense backdrop that the future of transatlantic trade will be decided, with Westminster braced for the impact of the president’s next move.

So, it’s unsurprising that as he waits, Sir Keir will spend the next few days resetting a different trading relationship – with Europe.

In this area, he is on slightly firmer ground, as the spectre of a global trade war makes European leaders want to huddle closer together to weather the storm.

And conversely, the Labour government’s track record works in their favour here, as they cash in their pro-EU credentials and wipe the slate clean after the bad-tempered Boris Johnson years.

It is still, however, an ambitious and risky endeavour to begin the delicate process of removing some of the most obstructive post-Brexit bureaucracy.

For minimal economic benefits on both sides, the UK must convince the Europeans that they are not letting Britain “have its cake and eat it”.

At the same time, Brexiteers back at home will cry betrayal at any hint that the UK is sneaking back into the bloc via the back door.

To make it even trickier, it must all be done with one eye on Washington, because while a united Europe may be necessary in the Trump era, the prime minister will not want to seem like he is picking sides so early on.

As with so many things in politics, it’s a delicate balancing act with the most serious of consequences, for a prime minister who is still to prove himself.

Environment

GM is cutting a shift at its EV plant in Mexico because of the Honda Prologue

Published

59 mins ago

February 3, 2025

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GM is cutting a shift at its EV plant in Mexico because of the Honda Prologue

GM cut a shift at its Ramos Arizpe manufacturing plant in Mexico, where it builds the Chevy Equinox EV and Honda Prologue. According to GM, the move was due to Honda’s decision to slow Prologue output. With sales of its sole electric SUV in the US surging, why is Honda cutting back?

GM cuts shift at Mexico EV plant over Prologue output

Although GM just added a third shift in May 2024, the plant returned to a two-shift schedule starting on January 20.

The move was initially thought to be because its contract to build the Prologue ended, but it turns out that Honda is scaling back.

“This change is mainly due to our customer Honda’s strategy of reducing the production volume of the Prologue model,” GM said in a statement. The shift was added to meet higher export demand for gas engines and Ultium-based EVs like the Chevy Equinox and Blazer EVs and Honda’s Prologue.

With less Prologue EV output, GM no longer needs the extra shift in Mexico. According to Mexico Business News, the company is eliminating 800 jobs at the plant due to the changes.

GM also said the changes were due to “an adjustment in the mix of production of GM vehicles at the site,” so it wasn’t entirely the Prologue’s fault. The company also builds gas-powered Chevy Blazers at the site.

Honda didn’t confirm the changes, but a spokesperson (via Automotive News) said, “It is quite normal for our business to make production adjustments during the year in order to meet customer needs and market conditions. We will continue to carefully manage production and inventory for our entire product lineup to meet anticipated demand in 2025.”

After delivering the first models in March, Honda’s Prologue was one of the best-selling EVs in the US in 2024. With over 33,000 models sold last year, Honda’s electric SUV was the seventh top-selling EV, ahead of the Chevy Equinox EV (28,874).

Electrek’s Take

Given that the Prologue is one of the top-selling EVs, why is Honda slowing production? Honda is moving away from GM’s Ultium platform with its upcoming 0 Series EVs, but that isn’t the reason yet.

The Prologue was once again one of the top-selling EVs in the US last month. With 3,744 models sold, it outsold Ford’s Mustang Mach-E (3,529), the Hyundai IONIQ 5 (2,250), and the Kia EV6 (1,542).

The move to slow output at this point is questionable. As more details unfold, we’ll learn more. Check back for more information on the situation.

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