SCOTUS seeks Biden views on admissions dispute

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.

Gavino Garay reports.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday delayed a key case on affirmative action by asking President Joe Biden's administration to weigh in 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 6-3 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.

Students for Fair Admissions has said its members include Asian American applicants rejected by Harvard.

Harvard declined to comment, but has previously said that the number of Black and Hispanic students at the prestigious university would drop by nearly half if its affirmative action program were to be struck down.

Lawyers for Harvard said it considers race "only in a flexible and non-mechanical way" and does not automatically favor certain races in deciding which students to accept.