Biden slams Supreme Court for affirmative action decision: ‘This is not a normal court’
Naomi Lim
Video Embed
President Joe Biden slammed the Supreme Court for reversing a college admissions affirmative action precedent a year after overturning Roe v. Wade.
“Today, the court once again walked away from decades of precedent,” Biden said at the White House on Thursday. “The court has effectively ended affirmative action in college admissions, and I strongly, strongly disagree with the court’s decision.”
BIDEN PICKS UP THE PACE IN PURSUIT OF 2024 CAMPAIGN CASH NEAR END OF QUARTER
Biden underscored affirmative action did not mean unqualified applicants were being admitted and encouraged colleges and higher education institutions to continue considering “the adversity a student has overcome.” He repeated that racism exists in the country.
“I believe our colleges are stronger when they’re racially diverse,” Biden said. “We cannot let this decision be the last word.”
“This is not a normal court,” he added in response to a reporter’s question about whether the court’s legitimacy has been undermined.
Eight states had banned race-based admissions policies before the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College. A Chief Justice John Roberts-led majority found Harvard University and the University of North Carolina’s programs violated the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause, at odds with the anti-discrimination landmark 1978 case Regents of the University of California v. Bakke.
Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama also spoke out regarding the decision, which does not apply to military academies or preclude applicants from discussing race in their admissions essays, as Republican 2024 presidential candidates welcomed it amid similar legal challenges to other diversity policies.
“Like any policy, affirmative action wasn’t perfect,” Barack Obama said. “But it allowed generations of students like Michelle and me to prove we belonged.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
In a separate, longer statement, Michelle Obama reflected on being “one of the few black students” at Princeton University and wondering “if people thought I got there because of affirmative action.”
“But the fact is this: I belonged,” she wrote. “And semester after semester, decade after decade, for more than half a century, countless students like me showed they belonged, too.”