Supreme Court to issue separate rulings on affirmative action in college admissions
The Supreme Court took a procedural step that will allow the court’s first Black woman to participate in a challenge to affirmative action in college admissions.
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court took a procedural step Friday that will allow the court’s first Black woman to participate in a high stakes challenge to affirmative action in college admissions.
The court agreed in January to take up the issue by granting two cases — one involving Harvard, a private university, and the other from the University of North Carolina, a public institution. The two cases were consolidated, meaning they were to be argued and decided together.
During her confirmation hearing, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said she would not take part in the consideration of the affirmative action issue, because she was on a board that advised Harvard on policy matters. Participating in the case would present a potential conflict of interest, she said.
Students walk through Harvard Yard, on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., on April 27, 2022.Charles Krupa / AP fileBut in a brief order Friday the court said the two cases are no longer consolidated. Because they’re now separate, she can participate in the case from the University of North Carolina.
The court said Justice Jackson took no part in the consideration of Friday’s order.
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