Supreme Court Avoids Race and Education Debate, Rejects Challenge to Virginia High School Admissions Policy”

The Supreme Court sidestepped a potentially contentious debate on race and education, declining to take up a challenge to an admissions policy promoting diversity at a Virginia high school. This decision follows the recent conservative court ruling ending the consideration of race in college admissions. The 6-3 conservative majority’s non-intervention leaves uncertainty regarding their stance on admissions policies indirectly fostering diversity.

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Conservative Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, urging the court to strike down the policy. Alito criticized the lower court decision, arguing it endorsed constitutional racial discrimination as long as not too severe. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin expressed disappointment in the court’s decision, emphasizing the importance of merit-based admissions.

The case involved Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, a selective public high school in Fairfax County. Its 2022 admissions policy, omitting standardized test scores and ensuring spots for top students from various middle schools, is asserted to be race-neutral. However, changes resulted in fewer Asian American students and more Black and Latino students.

The Coalition for TJ, opposing the policy, sued, alleging an intent to racially balance the freshman class. Challengers argued a violation of the 14th Amendment, requiring equal application of the law. Joshua Thompson, representing the plaintiffs, criticized the court’s missed opportunity to address race-based discrimination in K-12 admissions.

The school board contended the policy removed socioeconomic and geographic barriers through race-neutral and blind criteria. The June ruling, invalidating admissions programs at Harvard and UNC, served as a basis, with conservatives opposing affirmative action. Earlier, a federal judge ruled against the school board, but the Supreme Court refused an immediate implementation request in April 2022. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the ruling in May 2023, leading to the recent appeal to the Supreme Court.