The chairman of a top House education committee along with 64 Democrats are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to maintain “race-conscious admission policies” at Harvard University and University of North Carolina, according to a brief.
Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), a non-profit that fights race-based policies, petitioned the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to overturn Grutter v. Bollinger, a ruling that kept race-conscious admissions polices in place at higher education institutions. U.S. House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott of Virginia filed an amicus brief asking SCOTUS to uphold affirmative action and dismiss the cases next term. (RELATED: Harvard Is Lobbying For A Special Tax Cut – Republicans Respond By Proposing Just The Opposite)
Using a race-conscious admissions process “dismantles segregation and enhances educational opportunities for all Americans,” the brief stated.
Students for Fair Admissions also argued that Harvard allegedly discriminates by putting a specific limit on the number of minorities accepted into the university, the SFFA petition states.
“Even with the use of a race-conscious admissions program, the University of North Carolina ‘continues to face challenges admitting and enrolling underrepresented minorities, particularly African American males, Hispanics, and Native Americans,'” the brief said.
Students walk past a classroom building on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S., September 20, 2018. Picture taken on September 20, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Drake
Apple Inc., Alphabet Inc.’s Google and nearly 70 companies filed an amicus brief on Aug. 1 urging SCOTUS to rule in favor of the universities. The corporations argued that the race-based admission practice helps with diverse graduates and “racially and ethnically diverse environments” at their companies.
Scott, Harvard and UNC did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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