Justice Gorsuch rants against 'bureaucrats' for the race-identification section of college applications calling it a 'scheme of classifications'

Justice Gorsuch blamed "bureaucrats" for race-identification sections of college applications.
In his opinion, Gorsuch called the option to identify your race a "scheme of classifications."
SCOTUS ruled 6-3 Thursday that considering race in admissions was unconstitutional.

Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch slammed the race-identification section of college applications, saying it was created by "bureaucrats" and became a "scheme of classifications."

In his opinion concurring with SCOTUS Chief Justice John Roberts that affirmative action is unconstitutional, Gorsuch said the race-identification boxes on college applications — such as the Common Application — were created by government bureaucrats for data collection.

"A federal interagency commission devised this scheme of classifications in the 1970s to facilitate data collection," Gorsuch wrote, adding that the commission didn't receive input from "anthropologists, sociologists, ethnologists, or other experts" when creating these sections.

"Recognizing the limitations of their work, federal regulators cautioned that their classifications 'should not be interpreted as being scientific or anthropological in nature, nor should they be viewed as determinants of eligibility for participation in any Federal program,'" Gorsuch said, citing regulations.

Gorsuch also pushed back against the "incoherent stereotypes" created by racial categories on college applications, questioning why the "Asian" selection includes "East Asians (e.g., Chinese, Korean, Japanese) and South Asians (e.g., Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi), even though together they constitute about 60% of the world's population."

He added: "This agglomeration of so many peoples paves over counterless differences in 'language,' 'culture,' and historical experiences."

Gorsuch's opinion aligned with Justice Roberts' majority opinion, as the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to strike down affirmative action on Thursday.

The court majority called the consideration of race in college admissions unconstitutional and discriminatory, effectively ending the practice.

Both Harvard University and the University of North Carolina were involved in the court decision, presenting cases to SCOTUS. Gorsuch criticized the schools for their handling of applicants' racial identities, writing: "Just as there is no question Harvard and UNC consider race in their admissions processes, there is no question both schools intentionally treat some applicants worse than others because of their race."

Read the original article on Business Insider

Contributer : Business Insider https://ift.tt/vAO4Zgy

Something that you might miss to see?