The US Supreme Court ruled against affirmative action in higher education on Thursday and backlash was immediately sparked with outspoken Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) leading the charge.
She tweeted: "If SCOTUS was serious about their ludicrous 'colorblindness' claims, they would have abolished legacy admissions, aka affirmative action for the privileged."
AOC also highlighted a somewhat shocking and lesser known statistic. A 2016 report from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that "nearly 70% of legacy applicants are white."
She is not the only public figure claiming that legacy admissions offers an unfair advantage. In a highly personal statement, former First Lady Michelle Obama, as one of "the few Black students" on her alma mater's campus, said that other students on her campus received "special consideration for admissions."
Obama noted: "So often, we just accept that money, power, and privilege are perfectly justifiable forms of affirmative action, while kids growing up like I did are expected to compete when the ground is anything but level."
Reddit co-founder, Alexis Ohanian, shared the same concerns.
He tweeted: "Y'all are gonna bring that same energy to end legacy admissions at universities, too... Right?"
Affirmative action was originally introduced through the 1978 landmark case University of California v Bakke. In 2003, the Supreme court upheld that admission processes favoring "underrepresented minority groups" were constitutional. Again in 2016, in a narrow 4v3 majority ruling, the Supreme Court voted to uphold a University of Texas policy to consider race as a part of the bottom 90% of applicants.
Now, the Supreme Court rulings on Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v University of North Carolina and Students for Fair Admissions v Harvard University have overturned those decisions and gutted years of precedents.
Chuck Schumer said in a statement: "The Court's misguided decision reminds us how far we still have to be to ensure that all Americans are treated equally."
Former Speaker of the House, Representative Nancy Pelosi, warned that this court decision will be "felt imminently" and has stressed the importance of diversity in the classroom for American society.
Pelosi tweeted: "The strength of our economy and Democracy depends on giving Americans of all backgrounds the tools to contribute to our Nation."
Mike Pence says that the days of higher-ed racial bias are 'long over'
The former Vice President spoke to MSNBC News following the Supreme Court's decision. He made sure to note that he is the "father of three college graduates."
He said: "There may have been a time 50 years ago when we needed to affirmatively take steps to correct longterm racial bias in institutions of higher education."
Former President Donald Trump commended the Supreme Court justices, of whom he appointed three.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social: "Our greatest minds must be cherished and that’s what this wonderful day has brought."
Actor Misha Collins, speaking out against the decision, labeled the current court "The Trump Supreme Court" and spoke out against the decision.
Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for MAGA Inc, a pro-Trump super PAC, has credited Trump for the decision.
“President Donald Trump made today’s historic decision to end the racist college admissions process possible because he delivered on his promise to appoint constitutionalist justices,” Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for the super PAC MAGA, Inc., told The Hill.
Controversial American Author Candace Owens celebrated the decision.
She tweeted: "This is a MAJOR WIN in the strive for racial equality, removing the bigotry of low expectations against black students, while permitting Asian and white Americans an EQUAL chance to be rewarded for their hard work."
Despite the implication that white Americans are given a disadvantage as a result of affirmative action, Vox reports that white women actually benefit the most from the policies.
Justice Sonia Sotomayer said to Justice Clarence Thomas: "The three Justices of color on this Court graduated from elite universities and law schools with race-conscious admissions programs, and achieved successful legal careers, despite having different educational backgrounds than their peers."
