Race-based affirmative action programs violate the Constitution’s guarantees of equal treatment, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a pair of monumental decisions striking down the policies used by major colleges and universities to try to add more Black and Hispanic students to their ranks.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., writing the key opinion for the 6-3 ruling, said students must be treated on the basis of their “experiences as an individual — not on the basis of race.”

“Many universities have for too long done just the opposite. And in doing so, they have concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individual’s identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice,” he wrote.

• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.

• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.