Democrats Slam ‘Extremist’ Supreme Court For Overturning Affirmative Action: ‘Undermines Decades Of Progress’

Topline

Major Democrats blasted the Supreme Court’s monumental decision on Thursday to overturn race-based affirmative action in college and university admissions, calling the court “extremist” and made of “right-wing ideologues”—though GOP lawmakers lauded the court for ridding affirmative action, a longstanding issue on the right.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) slammed the Supreme Court’s decision overturning … [+] affirmative action.

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Key Facts

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) labeled the court “extremist” in a tweet following its 6-3 ruling Thursday morning, arguing it “once again reversed decades of settled law” and “rolled back the march toward racial justice” by deciding two colleges’ race-minded admissions policies violate the 14th Amendment right to equal protection and unfairly disadvantage white and Asian-American college applicants.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) also blasted the decision, tweeting, “If SCOTUS was serious about their ludicrous ‘colorblindness’ claims, they would have abolished legacy admissions,” the policy of accounting for applicants’ family history at a college or university, which she called “affirmative action for the privileged.”

In a statement, President Joe Biden said the court’s decision against application processes used by the University of North Carolina and Harvard University “upended decades of precedent” that allowed colleges to “build vibrant diverse environments” and “threaten[ed] to move the country backwards.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) argued in a tweet that “right-wing ideologues” on the court “obliterated consideration of racial diversity,” comparing the court’s decision to its overturning of Roe v. Wade last June and saying: “They clearly want to turn back the clock.”North Carolina Gov.

Roy Cooper (D)—whose state’s flagship public university was involved in the litigation—wrote the ruling “undermines decades of progress,” adding that “campus leaders will now have to work even harder to ensure that North Carolinians of all backgrounds are represented in higher education.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) issued a statement, writing the court “put a giant roadblock in our country’s march toward racial justice,” giving students of color fewer opportunities “than their parents and older siblings,” while former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) wrote the decision’s “impact will be felt immediately.”

Tangent

Biden also called on colleges to “give serious consideration” to students’ financial backgrounds, where they attended high school and their personal experiences including instances of racial discrimination. In its decision, the Supreme Court seemed open to this argument, writing “nothing prohibits universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected the applicant’s life, so long as that discussion is concretely tied to a quality of character or unique ability that the particular applicant can contribute to the university.”

Contra

GOP lawmakers lauded the court’s decision. Former South Carolina Gov. and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley wrote, “picking winners & losers based on race is fundamentally wrong,” while former Vice President Mike Pence, another 2024 candidate, called affirmative action an “egregious violation of civil and constitutional rights” that “only served to perpetuate racism.” Florida Gov. and 2024 GOP candidate Ron DeSantis argued the court “correctly upheld the Constitution and ended discrimination by colleges and universities,” while Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said the decision was “long-overdue.”

Crucial Quote

Former President Donald Trump wrote in a statement on his social media platform, Truth Social, it “is a great day for America,” adding: “People with extraordinary ability and everything else necessary for success, including future greatness for our Country, are finally being rewarded,” and saying “We’re going back to all merit-based—and that’s the way it should be!”

News Peg

The Supreme Court’s ruling on Thursday bans public and private colleges and universities from using race as a determining factor when admitting students, ending a decades-long practice aimed at increasing diversity in higher education. The court’s decision stems from a pair of lawsuits filed by Students for Fair Admissions against UNC and Harvard, which both argued the practice is not discriminatory, increases campus diversity and should be maintained. The six-justice majority denied that claim, arguing affirmative action is not in line with the Constitutional right to equal rights “without regard to any differences of race, of color, or of nationality.” The court’s three Democratic-appointed justices formed the dissent, arguing the court’s decision “cements a superficial rule of colorblindness as a constitutional principle.”