An appeals court in Boston heard a lawsuit Wednesday that alleges Harvard University restricted the number of Asian-Americans at the school, Reuters reported.
The First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston, Massachusetts heard a lawsuit The Students for Fair Admissions filed against Harvard University in 2014 alleging the school has restricted the number of Asian-Americans it admitted, Reuters reported. (RELATED: Justice Department Probe Into Yale Finds Civil Rights Violations, Discrimination Against Asian American And White Applicants)
Harvard denied the lawsuit’s allegation and said they are promoting diversity in the student community legally, Reuters reported.
“We are grateful the judges on the First Circuit were well-prepared for this important argument,” President of Students for Fair Admissions Edward Blum told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“If necessary, Students for Fair Admissions is prepared to take this case to the U.S. Supreme Court,” he added. “It is gravely disconcerting that Harvard’s admissions officers systematically gave Asian-Americans the lowest scores on personality traits such as likability, kindness and courage.”
An appeals court will hear arguments Wednesday about the role of race in undergraduate admissions at Harvard, and the outcome could reshape how colleges select students https://t.co/PqKNQTyrp9
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) September 16, 2020
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs ruled in 2019 that despite Harvard’s imperfect admissions program, there weren’t any “‘workable and available race-neutral alternatives'” to could still guarantee a diverse student community, according to Reuters.
Burroughs cited Supreme Court rulings that permit universities to take race into account, Reuters reported. (RELATED: ‘I’m A Racist’: Professors Open Up Meeting With Apparent Acts Of Verbal Self-Flagellation)
Director of Media Relations Rachael Dane from Harvard told the DCNF, “The District Court unequivocally affirmed the principles of diversity and inclusion central to Harvard’s mission, and to the missions of colleges and universities across the country,” speaking about the most recent hearing.
“Our nation’s public policies and laws must recognize that people should not be treated differently because of their skin color or ethnic heritage,” Blum told the DCNF.
The First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s phone call requests for comment.
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