What was affirmative action designed to do – and what has it achieved?

Harvard students Shruthi Kumar, left, and Muskaan Arshad, join a rally as the supreme court hears oral arguments on affirmative action, on 31 October 2022. Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/AP

The US supreme court banned the use of affirmative action policies in college admissions on Thursday. The court ruled that race-conscious admissions violate the equal-protection clause under the US constitution.

Envisioned as a tool to help remedy historical discrimination and create more diverse student bodies, affirmative action policies have permitted hundreds of colleges and universities to factor in students’ racial backgrounds during the admissions process. That consideration is supplementary, and taken in tandem with other factors such as applicants’ test scores, grades and extracurricular activities.