UNC-Chapel Hill To Defend Affirmative Action in Supreme Court

Source: Chip Somodevilla / Getty

The US Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments today (Oct. 31) in two cases that have the potential to overturn decades of precedent that allowed the use of affirmative action in the college admission process.

The cases, filed by the non-profit organization Students for Fair Admissions, are against both the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Harvard University. WRAL reports that 90 minutes will be set aside for argument in the UNC case, while Harvard will get 70 minutes of arguments.

Back in July, the North Carolina Justice Center disclosed that they filed a merits brief to urge the Supreme Court to uphold UNC’s practice to consider race in the admissions process, saying that “UNC’s holistic race-conscious admissions process is critical to ensuring all students learn in an atmosphere of well rounded, talented students who represent a broad range of experiences and viewpoints.” It is one of several briefs in support of the university in the case, which has been ongoing since 2014.

In November of that year, Students for Fair Admissions filed suit, arguing that the admissions process was discriminatory toward White and Asian-American applicants. A federal district ruled that the university’s practice complied with federal law. The decision was appealed, and now it goes to the US Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court is expected to make its decision by Summer 2023.

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