Judge rules University of North Carolina can continue race-based admission policy
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) can continue its race-based admission policy for its undergraduate programs, a judge ruled on Monday.
Judge Loretta C. Biggs also found that the university did not discriminate against white and Asian American applicants and that the university uses “a race conscious admissions program to enhance student diversity.”
This case follows a 2014 lawsuit against UNC by the anti-affirmative action group Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), who claim that UNC unfairly prioritizes Black and Hispanic students over white and Asian American students when considering applications.
Edward Blum, the president of SFFA, said in a statement, “Students for Fair Admissions is disappointed that the court has upheld UNC’s discriminatory admissions policies. We believe that the documents, emails, data analysis and depositions SFFA presented at trial compellingly revealed UNC’s systematic discrimination against non-minority applicants.”
“SFFA will appeal this decision to the Fourth Court of Appeals and to the U.S. Supreme Court,” Blum added.
The group currently has filed similar cases against Harvard and the University of Texas.
While the courts have ruled in favor of the universities in both cases, the lawsuit against Harvard could end up in the Supreme Court.
In 2016, the Supreme Court decision upheld the right for universities to use race-conscious reasoning in their admissions policies.
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