The US Supreme Court has struck down the practice of taking a student's race into account when deciding whether to admit them to a university.
The decision overturns long-standing US laws on positive discrimination, also known as affirmative action.
One of the most divisive topics in US education is this one.
Affirmative action was first incorporated into legislation in the 1960s and has been defended as a way to promote diversity.
The cases that the justices heard centered on Harvard and University of North Carolina (UNC) admissions.
The court stated in its decision that such [race-based] admission programs must adhere to strict scrutiny, may never use race as a stereotype or negative, and must eventually come to an end. " .
The UNC and Harvard admissions programs, according to Chief Justice John Roberts, "fail each of these criteria," despite their "well-intentioned" intentions.
Justice Roberts stated that "universities may define their missions as they see fit.". "The Constitution outlines who we are.
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