Republican lawmakers cheered a landmark ruling U.S. Supreme Court ruling Thursday that the use of race as a factor in college admissions is a violation of the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause, with some calling the decision a "victory" in the civil rights movement and for America's students.
Students for Fair Admissions brought cases against both Harvard and the University of North Carolina. The group initially sued Harvard College in 2014 for violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which "prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in any program or activity that receives Federal funds or other Federal financial assistance."
The North Carolina case raised the issue of whether the university could reject the use of non-race-based practices without showing that they would bring down the school's academic quality or negatively impact the benefits gained from campus diversity.
In a 6-3 decision, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion that, "A benefit to a student who overcame racial discrimination, for example, must be tied to that student’s courage and determination."
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif, applauded the ruling on Twitter, saying, "Now students will be able to compete based on equal standards and individual merit."
"This will make the college admissions process fairer and uphold equality under the law," McCarthy wrote.
Asian-American lawmakers Reps. Michelle Steel, R-Calif., and Young Kim, R-Calif., celebrated the Supreme Court's ruling, with both representatives emphasizing the importance for all students to have the opportunity to achieve their American dream.
Steel lauded the "brave young men and women" involved in the case who spoke up about their experience with racial discrimination in a statement to Fox News Digital. Steel, who immigrated to the U.S. from South Korea at the age of 19, went on to emphasize that one's actions determine one's success, not their race and ethnicity.
"I am living my American dream because, in this country, your actions determine your success - not your race and ethnicity. For 40 years, American colleges and universities have stacked the deck against Asian Americans in the name of diversity," Steel said. "As a nation, we believe, as taught by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., that every human should be judged 'not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.’ Thanks to the brave young men and women who spoke up about their experiences with racial discrimination, today’s victory marks a new chapter in the fight for equality in education."
Kim called out "race-based education policies," calling them divisive while also preventing students from reaching their full potential.
"These out-of-touch policies make the American dream out of reach," Kim told Fox News Digital in a statement after the decision was handed down. "We should not hold students back and send a dangerous message that one’s race and background matters more than one’s merits and character. Today’s decision is a huge victory for students of all backgrounds. I respect the Supreme Court’s decision as always and hope higher education institutions do the same."
Kim, a vocal Asian American leader in Congress on the topic, had previously told Fox News Digital Harvard's "unfair" admissions processes were crushing the American dream.
U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kent., called the decision "a long overdue step" in an effort to ensure equal protection under the law.
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"For decades, the Court turned a blind eye as higher education prioritized illegal social engineering over merit. Today’s rulings make clear that colleges may not continue discriminating against bright and ambitious students based on the color of their skin," McConnell said in a statement. "Now that the Court has reaffirmed that commonsense position, students can get a fair shot at college and the American dream on their merits."
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex., called out both Harvard and UNC for their "ugly traditions of discrimination" as he applauded the Court in its ruling that would "restore" students being judged on merit during the admissions process.
"Today the Supreme Court has ended our country’s long and failed experiment with racial quotas and government-sanctioned racial discrimination, and, in the process, restored some measure of objectivity and fairness to the college admissions process," Cruz said in a statement. "This is a great day for all Americans."
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on the other hand, slammed the Supreme Court ruling, calling it a "giant roadblock" in the country's efforts to achieve racial justice.
"The Supreme Court's ruling put a giant roadblock in America’s march toward racial justice," Schumer wrote. "The consequences will be felt immediately as students of color will face an admission cycle next year with fewer opportunities. These negative consequences could continue for generations."
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra shared similar sentiments, stating the ruling "weakens efforts" to make education more accessible "to members of historically underrepresented groups."
"The opinion issued today by the United States Supreme Court marks the beginning of the restoration of the colorblind legal covenant that binds together our multi-racial, multi-ethnic nation," Edward Blum, founder and president of Students for Fair Admissions, who was a party in the case, said in a statement following the decision.
"The polarizing, stigmatizing and unfair jurisprudence that allowed colleges and universities to use a student’s race and ethnicity as a factor to admit or reject them has been overruled. These discriminatory admission practices undermined the integrity of our country’s civil rights laws."
The University of North Carolina released a statement in response to the ruling, clarifying the university would "take any steps necessary to comply with the law" despite not receiving its expected outcome.
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"Carolina remains firmly committed to bringing together talented students with different perspectives and life experiences and continues to make an affordable, high-quality education accessible to the people of North Carolina and beyond," said Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz. "While not the outcome we hoped for, we will carefully review the Supreme Court’s decision and take any steps necessary to comply with the law."
UNC'S Board of Trustees Chair David L. Boliek Jr. also stated the university was ready to comply with the Court's ruling ensuring America's "oldest public university to keep leading."
Harvard University released a similar statement to its community, ensuring the university would also comply with the law following the Court's decision.
"We write today to reaffirm the fundamental principle that deep and transformative teaching, learning, and research depend upon a community comprising people of many backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences. That principle is as true and important today as it was yesterday," the statement read.
Fox News' Brianna Herlihy, Anders Hagstrom, and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
