We begin tonight with the Supreme Court striking down affirmative action and reshaping college admissions. In a six to three decision, the justices ruled that Harvard University and the University of North Carolina violated the constitution by considering race when deciding whether to admit someone to their school. A landmark case overturning nearly fifty years of precedent, the latest example of the conservative majority redefining American law, including abortion rights and guns. The ruling means higher education institutions will need to come up with ways create diverse student bodies. Groups of protesters, mostly made up of young adults gathered outside the court to voice their outrage. And to underscore how monumental this case is, six of the nine justices wrote opinions, many personal and strongly worded.

With justices on the touchstone issue of race talking to and past one another. This sweeping and historic ruling effectively ends affirmative action in college admissions reversing decades of precedent that less conservative court majorities had protected and giving colleges and universities some latitude to consider race as one factor as they sought build more diverse student bodies. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice J.R said admission policies of Harvard University and the University of North Carolina violated the fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. In a scathing dissent, Justice S.S accused the court majority of ignoring history and precedent. The opinion also exposed deep personal and ideological divisions within the court. Justice K.B.J, the first black woman to serve on the high court, wrote in her dissent, quote “With let-them-eat-cake obliviousness, today, the majority pulls the ripcord and announces colorblindness for all by legal fiat”. Outside the court, students and civil right leaders assembled to protest. E.B, the president of Students for Fair Admissions, brought the case to the court, arguing race should not factor into admissions decisions at all. Ending racial preferences in college admissions is an outcome that the vast majority of all Americans of all races will celebrate. CBSN polling shows that seventy percent of Americans think race should not be allowed as a factor in college admissions. But statistics indicate that in states that have banned affirmative action such as California and Michigan, admissions for Black and Latino students have fallen dramatically at their most selective universities.