June 29, 2023
President Biden clearly was not happy about today’s Supreme Court ruling that gutted affirmative action
The president spent several minutes talking about how affirmative action laws have worked in college admissions for more than 40 years. Saying – the problem is – people completely misunderstand the law.
But the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, former President Donald Trump has the complete opposite opinion about today’s ruling.
Posting to his social media account saying “this is a great day for America. We’re going back to all merit-based – and that’s the way it should be!”
President Biden used the bully pulpit to suggest – in light of todays’ ruling — colleges and universities should adopt a new standard when it comes to admissions – a standard – that he says is completely consistent with what the justices ruled. That standard would be — as long as the applicant is qualified – admissions officers should take into account the adversity that applicant had to overcome to get where they are, like where they grew up and their financial background.
The President is directing the Department of Education to analyze what admissions practices build diverse student bodies and what practices hold that back – like legacy admissions so the colleges will have some guidance from the federal government on how to put this new supreme court ruling into every day practice. He said colleges and universities should not abandon their commitment to ensure student bodies that reflect the diverse backgrounds and experiences that reflect America. He said the fight isn’t over.
Watch President Biden’s full speech here.
