By Lawrence Hurley
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday asked President Joe Biden’s administration to give its views on whether the justices should hear a challenge to Harvard University’s consideration of race in undergraduate student admissions.
The case, should it be taken up by the court, would give the court’s conservative majority a chance to end affirmative action policies used to increase the number of Black and Hispanic students on American campuses.
The action by the court signals the interest of at least some of the nine justices in considering an appeal brought by a group called Students for Fair Admissions, founded by anti-affirmative action activist Edward Blum, of a lower court ruling that upheld Harvard’s program. The lawsuit accused Harvard of discriminating against Asian American applicants in violation of a landmark 1964 federal civil rights law.
The Supreme Court has a 6-3 conservative majority.
(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Additional reporting by Nate Raymond; Editing by Will Dunham)
