The Supreme Court will hear arguments in a pair of cases Monday about whether the use of race in college admissions decisions at Harvard College and the University of North Carolina is unconstitutional or violates a federal anti-discrimination law.
The cases are the most prominent of several this term in which the conservative-dominated court will consider the role of race in federal law. What the justices say in more than two hours of arguments on these higher education cases could signal the court’s approach to anti-discrimination laws in other areas, like employment.
Legal experts expect the 6-3 conservative majority at the high court to issue rulings before the end of the term at the end of June that curtail the use of race in admissions and possibly overturn a 2003 decision that had paved the way for such policies.
