Boston (June 29, 2023) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), author of legislation to expand the U.S. Supreme Court from nine to 13 justices, released the following statement after the Court ruled to strike down Harvard University and the University of North Carolina’s affirmative action policies:
“It’s been nearly 50 years since Brown v. Board of Education made clear that education ‘is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms.’ Yet, today, the Supreme Court made it more difficult for students of color to achieve their educational dreams. The Supreme Court majority may think they are blind to race, but what they are truly blind to is inequality, blind to injustice, blind to progress.
“The realities of racial injustice are woven into every part of our society, yet the far-right, extremist majority on the Court is forcing colleges and universities to minimize the importance of diversity and equity among their student bodies. Considering race in college admissions is a key tool for diversifying campuses, increasing equity and fairness, and strengthening our education system with different perspectives and lived experiences. Operationally, ignoring inequality is ignoring race, whether that be in admissions, in our larger educational system, or in society.
“Equal opportunity for all is a bedrock, universal value in our country. We cannot allow this captured Supreme Court majority to turn back the clock on progress. Congress must act. We must make sure we continue to hold the doors of opportunity open to all. We must give people the just and equal opportunity to achieve their educational dreams. We must expand the Supreme Court and return legitimacy and balance back to the same institution that rightly ruled that education – and justice – should be made available to all on equal terms.”
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