UNC, Harvard set to defend use of race in admissions before US Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments Monday in two cases that have the potential to overturn decades of precedent that have allowed the use of race as one of many factors in making decisions about admissions to colleges and universities.
The cases are filed against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Harvard University.
The high court has set aside 90 minutes for argument in UNC’s case and 70 minutes in Harvard’s.
In July, the North Carolina Justice Center said it had filed a merits brief to urge the high court to uphold the university’s practice of considering race in the admissions process. The nonprofit advocacy group filed a 68-page brief along with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the Washington, D.C.-based law firm Relman Colfax.
“UNC’s holistic race-conscious admissions process is critical to ensuring all students learn in an atmosphere of well rounded, talented students who represent a broad range of experiences and viewpoints,” the Justice Center said in its brief.
It’s among several filings in support of the university in the case, which has been ongoing for almost eight years.
In November 2014, the nonprofit Students for Fair Admissions sued UNC, arguing that the university’s admission process unconstitutionally discriminates against white and Asian American applicants.
A federal district court ruled that the university’s practices complied with federal law. Students for Fair Admissions appealed the decision, and the high court will take up the case.
Students for Fair Admissions also filed a similar, but separate lawsuit against Harvard University.
