In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court voted to invalidate admissions programs at the University of North Carolina (UNC) and Harvard University. The ruling effectively barred universities from considering race as one of many factors in deciding which qualified applicants will be admitted to those two universities. Nearly a full year later, the Supreme Court’s decision has spread further west to the state of Ohio.
“Although the Court did not expressly prohibit race-based scholarships, it indicated that ‘eliminating racial discrimination’ means eliminating all of it,'” a spokesperson from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said.
“Race-based scholarships discriminate on the basis of race in awarding benefits. Therefore, it would follow that such programs are unconstitutional.”
Representatives from several of the state’s most prominent colleges and universities, including The Ohio State University, Kent State and the University of Akron, have told NPR that they “are reviewing race-based scholarships and programs for potential noncompliance.”
Elsewhere in the midwest, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey also issued a memo warning college and universities about “illegal affirmative action policies.”
“Missouri institutions must identify all policies that give preference to individuals on the basis of race and immediately halt the implementation of such policies. More than 300,000 individuals currently attend institutions of higher education in Missouri. In addition, countless Missourians are employed at or will seek employment at institutions that have adopted affirmative action employment policies,” Bailey stated.
“As the chief legal officer for the State of Missouri, I intend to ensure that the constitutional rights of all Missourians are protected, including those who would be harmed by race-based policies that are unlawful under the rulings issued today.”
