As the Nation Awaits a Decision in Affirmative Action Cases, Four Key Points Stakeholders Must Consider to Ensure Educational Opportunity for All

On October 31, 2022, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two important cases involving race-conscious admissions policies: Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. University of North Carolina and SFFA v. Harvard College. In each of these cases, SFFA challenges not only whether the universities’ policies comport with the Supreme Court’s 45-year precedent authorizing affirmative action in admissions, but whether that precedent should be overturned. The challenges have created great turmoil in the higher education community and beyond as the opposition seeks
to engender fear on matters well beyond admissions. Unfortunately, this fear is not only stoked by the opposition, but also well-intentioned yet ill-informed allies. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Asian Americans Advancing Justice
| AAJC, and Legal Defense Fund have helped multiracial groups of students and alumni secure a strong voice in the courts and in the court of public opinion. Together, we have defended against
attacks by those who wish to turn back the clock on progress, opportunity, and any meaningful effort to address our nation’s awful legacy of racial discrimination.