12:47 PM ET, June 29, 2023
Members of Congress react to affirmative action along party lines
From CNN’s Morgan Rimmer, Manu Raju and Melanie Janona
Samuel Coram/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Congress members have started reacting to the news The Supreme Court struck down affirmative action At the college level, Republicans applauded the decision and Democrats lamented it.
GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell: “Today’s rulings make clear that colleges should not discriminate against bright and ambitious students based on the color of their skin.”
“Ivory towers of academia should not discriminate and promote preferences based on the color of one’s skin. In America, fairness is the key to educational opportunity, where one’s success is determined by merit rather than arbitrary quotas,” he added.
GOP Sen. Ted Cruzwho sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a statement that Thursday was “a great day for all Americans.”
“Today, the Supreme Court upheld the 14th Amendment rights of Asian-Americans and found unconstitutional the blatant and egregious policies of Harvard and the University of North Carolina that racially discriminate against Asian-Americans and other students,” he said.
Democratic Sen. Peter WelchMeanwhile, he lamented the decision, telling CNN’s Manu Raju that it was a “huge disappointment”.
“It’s a real blow to affirmative action. And it’s another sign of the Supreme Court’s unusually conservative orientation. But the impetus for diversification is very powerful and I don’t think it will stop completely because the Supreme Court has invalidated its use in an obvious way.
“The same extremists have obliterated racial disparity in college admissions. They clearly want to turn back the clock. We will never allow that,” Jeffries said.
Congressional Black Caucus said: “By handing down the most extreme affirmative action decision for young people seeking equal access to education in our educational system, the Supreme Court has called its own logic into question.”
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat, said: “If SCOTUS were serious about their ludicrous ‘colorblindness’ claims, they would have struck down legacy admissions, an affirmative action for the privileged. 70% of Harvard’s legacy applicants are white. SCOTUS didn’t touch it — that would have hurt them and their supporters.”
Morgan Rimmer and the Hill team contributed to this report.
