More than 50 percent of the Americans approve the US Supreme Court's judgment overturning race-based college admissions, according to the latest opinion poll. While 52 percent of those polled said they approved the judgment, 32 percent disapproved and 16 percent were unsure,
an ABC News/Ipsos poll released Sunday showed.
Majority of Independents Support Verdict
The poll results come in the backdrop of intense opposition to the ruling by the Democrats and progressive activists. While a whopping 75 percent of the Republicans approved the ruling, some 26 percent of the Democrats also supported the decision. Among the independents, the support was at 58 percent, the polling, which was held between June 30 and July 1 among 937, adults showed.
The polling, however, showed a deep racial divide in American society. Among the white people, the support for the supreme court verdict was 60 percent, while only 25 percent of the Black people supported it. Significantly, as many as 58 percent of the Asians polled also supported ther abolition of race-based college admissions. Interestingly, the Hispanic population is evenly split on the verdict, with 40 percent supporting the verdict and 40 percent disapproving.
On Thursday, the US Supreme Court struck down the long-entrenched race-conscious admissions programs in two major universities -- Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. The landmark judgment put an end to the policy that ensured greater representation for the Black and Hispanic populations in college admissions.
Students for Fair Admissions
The conservative justices ruled in favor of Students for Fair Admissions, which was founded by anti-affirmative action activist Edward Blum as it turned down the race-conscious admissions program. A student "must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual not on the basis of race. Many universities have for too long done just the opposite. And in doing so, they have concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individual's identity is not challenges bested, skills built or lessons learned but the color of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the judgment.
"Harvard and UNC admissions programs cannot be reconciled with the guarantees of the Equal Protection Clause," Roberts added.
'Discrimination still Exists'
While former president and leading Republican candidate for presidential nomination, Donald Trump, vehemently supported the top court's decision, President Joe Biden criticised the verdict.
"Discrimination still exists in America. Today's decision doesn't change that ... I believe our colleges are stronger when they are racially diverse. Our nation is stronger ... because we are tapping into the full range of talent in this nation," Biden said.
In the same week it it overturned the admissions policy, the supreme court also struck down President Biden's landmark student loan forgiveness plan. "I know there are millions of Americans, millions of Americans in this country who feel disappointed and discouraged, or even a little bit angry about the Court's decision today on student debt. And I must admit, I do, too," the president said.
