In 2023, the United States Supreme Court sent shockwaves across the nation when it struck down discriminatory affirmative action policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, as Townhall covered.
Before the decision was handed down, Townhall interviewed students in the Washington, D.C. area who were personally impacted by these woke policies at these universities.
All-American Rejects: The Left's Racist War on Meritocracy
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 2, 2023
Townhall Investigative Journalist @MiaCathell sat down with Asian American community members outraged over the Ivy League's racial gatekeeping and affirmative action's trickle-down effects. pic.twitter.com/qa2fSPOvNM
Now, another university system is at the center of an admissions lawsuit.
The University of California allegedly discriminated against Asian American and white applicants in admissions, a lawsuit filed this week claims.
In the complaint, Students Against Racial Discrimination said that the use of racial preferences at all nine of the system's campuses lets students with inferior academic credentials win admission at the expense of better-qualified applicant (via Reuters):
The group said this violates the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment, as well as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars federal funds recipients from discriminating based on race.
It also said the preferences run afoul of Proposition 209, which California voters passed in 1996 to forbid race and other factors in public education, public employment and public contracting.
Specifically, the California campuses “closed gaps” in admission rates between black and Hispanic applicants, along with others, regardless of their qualifications.
"Students of all races are harmed by the University of California's discriminatory behavior," the lawsuit says.
The university system responded in a statement, claiming that it asks for applicants’ race and ethnicity "for statistical purposes only and they are not used for admission."
Reportedly, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is a defendant in the lawsuit.
Lawyers for the student group include America First Legal, founded by Trump's deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller.