MAGA Court poised to ban college diversity considerations.
The efforts were weak in the first place.
My art is on Instagram @klonskyart
First it was rolling back reproductive rights.
Now the MAGA Court is poised to ban colleges and universities, public and private from even “considering” race in their admissions policies.
The consideration of race as one factor in admissions has been the law for over 40 years since the Court ruled against quotas in the Bakke decision in 1978.
This morning the MAGA Court will hear arguments to reverse past precedent allowing race consideration.
Nobody thinks this bunch will rule against those bringing action.
The organization Students for Fair Admissions is challenging Harvard University’s admissions practices, arguing that the consideration of race in the process violates the Equal Protection Clause.
Students for Fair Admissions isn’t made up of students and doesn’t want fair admissions.
It is the total creation of the racist and reactionary Edward Blum.
Blum, who is white, has a long history of challenging voting rights laws and affirmative action.
He formed Students for Fair Admissions as a vehicle to file litigation. The organization’s leadership consists solely of Mr. Blum, Abagail Fisher, and Richard Fisher, her father.
Abigail N. Fisher, a white woman, applied for undergraduate admission to the University of Texas in 2008. Fisher was not in the top ten percent of her class, so she competed for admission with other non-top ten percent in-state applicants. The University of Texas denied Fisher's application.
Fisher sued, claiming she was denied admission because she was white. Blum backed the suit. The courts ruled against her.
Through Students for Fair Admissions, Blum recruited “members” and filed his challenge to college admissions against Harvard with a twist. This time, Blum claimed that the consideration of race discriminates against Asian-Americans.
However, Blum isn’t seeking to ensure that Harvard adequately addresses any biases against Asian-Americans in its admissions practices, nor is he asking Harvard to take other affirmative steps to recognize the value of Asian-American applicants.
The six member MAGA majority on the Court was looking for an excuse to end consideration of race in college admissions.
Blum provided it.
A friend called to talk about this case. I just got off the phone.
My friend said he believes that the descendants of the slave holders should be forced to pay reparations. I said I agreed that in those cases where they had inherited the wealth, descendants of slave holders should be forced to return it to descendants of the victims.
Then he said that all of white America should be forced to pay reparations also. Affirmative Action, he said, was a form of reparations. My children and grandchildren, he said should be penalized also In addition cash reparations should be paid.
I said my family and that of my wife also had been Abolitionists, had taken up arms against slavery, and had paid a terrible price. Why should their descendants be punished?
He hung up on me.