Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Celerity

(44,477 posts)
Thu Jul 13, 2023, 10:51 AM Jul 2023

The Supreme Court kicks away the ladder



The US Supreme Court’s decision to ban affirmative action in university admissions has struck at the heart of the ‘American dream’.

https://www.socialeurope.eu/the-supreme-court-kicks-away-the-ladder



BY ANTARA HALDAR 12th July 2023

Fifteen years ago, I watched in rapt attention as a resplendent, yet surreal, scene unfolded—the election of the first-ever African-American United States president, Barack Obama. Late last month, the Supreme Court, in a landmark 6-3 ruling, struck down what may have been one of the key factors in making that story possible—affirmative action in higher education.

In an opinion drafted by the chief justice, John Roberts, the court rejected race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard (Obama’s law-school alma mater) and the University of North Carolina on the grounds that they ‘cannot be reconciled with the guarantees of the Equal Protection Clause’ of the 14th amendment to the constitution. The dissenting opinion was, fittingly, delivered by Sonia Sotomayor, an Obama appointee and the first Supreme Court justice of Latin American origin. Sotomayor lamented that the decision ‘rolls back decades of precedent and momentous progress’.

Sharp drop

Judging by the experience of even liberal states such as Michigan and California (two of nine to have already rejected affirmative action), the court’s decision is likely to lead to a sharp drop in the number of black and latino/a students at undergraduate level, as well as at professional schools. It also opens policies such as corporate diversity programmes, which ramped up after the murder of George Floyd in 2020, to judicial scrutiny. After the Dobbs ruling last year eliminated the constitutional right to abortion, this is the second time the court has upended years of jurisprudence on a highly charged issue (it has also, recently, upheld the right to discriminate against the LGBT+ community).

Notably, in all these cases, nothing material has changed—save for the composition of the court. Conservatives’ reaction to the affirmative-action ruling has been rousing, with endorsements pouring in from Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, and with much of the credit going to Donald Trump (who as president appointed three of the six conservative justices). Conservatives have played the long game, especially on court appointments, and now they are reaping the rewards of their finely-tuned ideological machine. The current president, Joe Biden, described it as ‘not a normal court’.

‘Matrix of mobility’....................

snip



6 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
The Supreme Court kicks away the ladder (Original Post) Celerity Jul 2023 OP
The Dobbs decision cannot be reconciled with the 14th Amendment. Hermit-The-Prog Jul 2023 #1
For this thread LetMyPeopleVote Jul 2023 #2
+100 Celerity Jul 2023 #3
Redlining affects schooling in America to this day, I'm shocked this wasn't argued as a reason to .. uponit7771 Jul 2023 #4
Disastrous. BeckyDem Jul 2023 #5
4 paragraphs and the word "Asian" does not appear Showbizkid Jul 2023 #6

Hermit-The-Prog

(34,078 posts)
1. The Dobbs decision cannot be reconciled with the 14th Amendment.
Thu Jul 13, 2023, 11:57 AM
Jul 2023

The Subversive 6 don't care about logic, law, precedent, consequences, or the U.S. Constitution; the only things that matter to them are their power and ideology.

uponit7771

(90,411 posts)
4. Redlining affects schooling in America to this day, I'm shocked this wasn't argued as a reason to ..
Fri Jul 14, 2023, 11:54 AM
Jul 2023

... keep AA in education.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»The Supreme Court kicks a...