Justices to hear challenge to race in college admissions

By MARK SHERMAN
Associated Press

The conservative-dominated Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to the consideration of race in college admissions, adding affirmative action to major cases on abortion, guns, religion and COVID-19 already on the agenda. The court said Monday it’ll take up lawsuits claiming Harvard, a private institution, and the University of North Carolina, a state school, discriminate against Asian American applicants. A decision against the schools could mean the end of affirmative action in admissions. Lower courts rejected the challenges, citing 40 years of high court rulings that allow colleges and universities to consider race in admissions decisions. But the schools must do so in a narrowly tailored way to promote diversity.