The U.S. Supreme Court has released its long-awaited decision in Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard and SFFA v. University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, striking down colleges’ use of race-conscious admissions nationwide. Madelyn Wessel, senior counsel at Hogan Lovells, and Peter McDonough, vice president and general counsel at ACE, join Mushtaq Gunja to offer initial thoughts about the ruling and potential implications for students and higher education institutions while considering what all of this means for the future of diversity, access, and opportunity on campus and beyond.

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Here are some of the links and references from this week’s show:

The SFFA v. Harvard and UNC Race in Admissions Cases: Reactions to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Ruling American Council on Education | July 6, 2023

Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College U.S. Supreme Court | June 29, 2023

Supreme Court Strikes Down Race in Admissions Policies American Council on Education | June 30, 2023

Transcript: Contingency Planning and Prep for a Post–Supreme Court Decision Landscape American Council on Education | April 19, 2023

ACE Leads Nearly 40 Associations Urging the Supreme Court to Reaffirm the Legality and Value of Race-Conscious Admissions American Council on Education | August 1, 2022

Affirmative Action Was Banned at Two Top Universities. They Say They Need It. The New York Times (sub. req.) | Oct. 31, 2022

Without Affirmative Action, How Will Colleges Seek Racial Diversity? The Washington Post (sub. req.) | July 5, 2023

Activists Spurred by Affirmative Action Ruling Challenge Legacy Admissions at Harvard Associated Press | July 3, 2023

Black Colleges Face Crunch as Supreme Court Ruling Drives Influx of Students Bloomberg (sub. req.) | July 5, 2023

Military Academies Exempt from Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action Ruling The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) | June 29, 2023