On June 29, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. UNC, siding with Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA). Speech First, a national membership group of students, alumni, and others that defends free speech and other civil rights on campus, had filed an amicus (“friend of the court”) brief supporting SFFA.
The ruling effectively ended race-based affirmative action in college admissions. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the dissent would accept “a judiciary that picks winners and losers based on the color of their skin.” In a concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas noted that neither Harvard nor UNC could explain how racial diversity, as opposed to other kinds of diversity, improves education.
Read Speech First’s full press release below:
