{"id":316247,"date":"2020-11-12T20:37:55","date_gmt":"2020-11-13T01:37:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/?p=316247"},"modified":"2020-12-01T19:02:30","modified_gmt":"2020-12-02T00:02:30","slug":"appeals-court-finds-for-harvard-in-admissions-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/11\/appeals-court-finds-for-harvard-in-admissions-case\/","title":{"rendered":"Appeals court finds for Harvard in admissions case"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t
\"Entrance

Autumn in Harvard Yard.<\/p>

Kris Snibbe\/Harvard Staff Photographer<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\t

\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tNation & World\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t

\n\t\tAppeals court finds for Harvard in admissions case\t<\/h1>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t
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\n\t\tColleen Walsh\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t

\n\t\t\tHarvard Staff Writer\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/address>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t

\n\t\t\tTwo-judge panel upholds lower court ruling that University complies with Supreme Court precedent\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n
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The First Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday affirmed Harvard\u2019s use of race as one factor among many in its application process. The decision, issued by a two-judge panel in Boston, upheld a district court finding<\/a> last year that the College\u2019s admission practices do not discriminate against Asian American applicants and comply with prior Supreme Court rulings.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter careful review of the record, we hold … that under governing Supreme Court law Harvard\u2019s race-conscious admissions program does not violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act,\u201d read part of the 104-page ruling that refuted discrimination claims by the plaintiff, Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), a group founded by Edward Blum, who has spent decades fighting measures designed to foster diversity in higher education and elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Harvard President Larry Bacow called the decision another victory for Harvard\u2019s mission of educating students from all backgrounds and experiences, and a recognition of the importance of diversity more broadly.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust over a year ago, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs found in Harvard\u2019s favor. Today, her decision \u2014 and the values that underlie our undergraduate admissions process \u2014 are affirmed,\u201d said Bacow. \u201cThe consideration of race, alongside many other factors, helps us achieve our goal of creating a student body that enriches the education of every student. Diversity also represents a pathway for excellence for both Harvard and the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Boston appeals court panel affirmed Burroughs\u2019s opinion, noting that Harvard\u2019s admissions practices are \u201cnarrowly tailored,\u201d and that the University does not engage in racial balancing, use race as a \u201cmechanical plus factor,\u201d or overlook other workable race-neutral alternatives to achieve a diverse student body. In their ruling, Chief Judge Jeffrey Howard and Judge Sandra Lynch wrote that SFFA\u2019s claim that \u201cHarvard elevates racial diversity above other types of diversity is not supported by the evidence,\u201d and that by eliminating consideration of race in admissions, \u201cthe share of African American and Hispanic or other students enrolled at Harvard would decrease by 45 percent.\u201d (Judge Juan Torruella of the appellate panel, who participated in the September hearing, died on Oct. 26.)<\/p>\n\r\n

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