Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) denounced the Supreme Court's ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College where a 6-3 majority ruled affirmative action policies in college admissions are unconstitutional.
The California governor decried the ruling in a statement on Thursday, despite affirmative action being illegal in the Golden State for state institutions.
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“The Supreme Court’s conservative majority has yet again upended longstanding precedent, changing the law just because they now have the votes to do so, without any care for the costs to society and students around the country. Right-wing activists — including those donning robes — are trying to take us back to the era of book bans and segregated campuses. As Justices Sotomayor and Jackson put it powerfully, no one benefits from ignorance: diverse schools are an essential component of the fabric of our democratic society," Newsom said in a statement.
"While the path to equal opportunity has now been narrowed for millions of students, no court case will ever shatter the California Dream. Our campus doors remain open for all who want to work hard — and our commitment to diversity, equity, and equal opportunity has never been stronger,” he added.
California voters in 1996 voted 54%-45% to pass Proposition 209, which stated that "the state shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting."
The ban on affirmative action by the Golden State was later affirmed by voters in 2020 when Proposition 16 was rejected by voters 57%-42%. Proposition 16 would have repealed Proposition 209, and would allow affirmative action in California. Newsom endorsed the proposition prior to Election Day.
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The ban on affirmative action via Proposition 209 only applied to state-run universities and did not include private universities in the Golden State. Thursday's Supreme Court decision means that private colleges and universities will not be permitted to consider race when admitting students.
One of the recommendations included in California's reparations task force's proposal is to repeal Proposition 209, but repealing it would require a proposition like the failed effort in 2020.