Local Congressmen Calvert and Ruiz respond to Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action
On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6 to 3 decision against affirmative action. This now means that colleges and universities across the U.S. can no longer take race into consideration for granting admission.
More: Supreme Court guts affirmative action in college admissions
We reached out to our local Congressmen for their reaction to the historic ruling.
Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-41) statement:
"In its ruling today, the Supreme Court has upheld the Constitution and reaffirmed that discriminating against someone based on their race is unconstitutional. The decision aligns with the views of most Americans as well as the spirit of MLK's dream that people 'will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character'"
Congressman Raul Ruiz (CA-25) statement:
“Affirmative Action was a policy derived from the Civil Rights Movement to create opportunities for students who were systematically excluded and disadvantaged in opportunities to attain a higher education.
A First-Generation Black high school graduate or a First-Generation Mexican American son of farmworkers living in poverty, with no family in professional careers, studying in historically impoverished school districts, have much more to overcome to enter and graduate from college. I know this personally!
The SCOTUS decision today is wrong, but it’s not over. Disparities and gross inequalities still exist, and we must, and I will, work to build ladders of opportunities that level the playing field for everyone.”
Steve Vladeck, CNN Supreme Court analyst and professor at the University of Texas School of Law, said the decision will still not end the legal fight over college admissions.
“In those states that have already banned racial preferences and gone after diversity statements and other softer uses of race in admissions, the decision is going to make it virtually impossible for colleges and universities to take race into account in any specific admissions decision,” Vladeck said.
“But in states that continue to permit colleges and universities to take race into account, we’ll surely see efforts to encourage the kinds of uses the majority does not expressly disavow –whether in diversity statements or elsewhere – and litigation challenging those efforts as being inconsistent with the spirit, if not the letter, of today’s decision.”
