Federal Appeals Court Upholds Harvard’s Affirmative Action Policy

Harvard University’s use of affirmative action in undergraduate admissions stands, a pair of federal judges have ruled, upholding a 2019 U.S. District Court ruling that sided with the university on all counts. “The issue before us is whether Harvard’s limited use of race in its admissions process in order to achieve diversity in the period in question is consistent with the requirements of Supreme Court precedent,” Judge Sandra L. Lynch wrote in a court ruling published Thursday. “There was no error.” Students for Fair Admissions, a group that advocates for race-blind academic admissions, first sued Harvard in 2014, alleging it intentionally discriminated against Asian Americans. The university says its use of race as a factor in admissions adheres to previous Supreme Court rulings. “As we have said time and time again, now is not the time to turn back the clock on diversity and opportunity,” said a Harvard spokeswoman.