Judge Sandra Lynch, who appointed Bill Clinton, wrote the opinion. She also led most of the interrogation during oral arguments in September with Judge Juan Toruella, appointed by former President Ronald Reagan, although Toruella did not participate in announcing the verdict.
Background: Students appealing for fair admission argued that the district court was unable to determine whether Harvard treated Asian American applicants fairly. The use of “individual rating” was also highlighted in the admission decision by the admissions university, with the group arguing that Asian American applicants are inferior to their peers and discriminatory.
The Trump administration also participated in oral arguments on behalf of the SFFA, arguing that Asian American applicants were “unduly burdened by the widespread and widespread use of race by Harvard.”
What’s next: The administration-backed lawsuit could be the start of a ban on the Supreme Court’s next positive move. Edward Blum, president of the Students for Fair missions commission and a longtime anti-affirmative action activist, assured the High Court on Thursday that he would take up the case.
“While we are disappointed with the opinion of the First Circuit Court of Appeals, we have not lost hope,” Blum said in a statement. “The lawsuit is now on its way to the U.S. Supreme Court where we will ask judges to end these unfair and unconstitutional race-based admissions policies at Harvard and all colleges and universities.”
While the High Court has repeatedly endorsed the use of race as a factor in college admissions, which could change under the court’s new majority, Justice Amy Connie Barrett and Brett Kevnoh confirmed that Anthony Kennedy had replaced the key swing vote. In a recent opinion approving the use of membership.
