"This is a great day for all Americans.”
Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON, D.C. – “Both Harvard and the University of North Carolina have had long and ugly traditions of discrimination – Harvard with its anti-Jewish quotas in the 20th century and UNC with racial segregation – that made it impossible for a prospective student to be judged on his or her own merit rather than their skin color or religious background. The Supreme Court has upheld the 14th Amendment rights of Asian-Americans and ruled that Harvard and the University of North Carolina’s explicit and egregious policies of racially discriminating against Asian-Americans and other students are unconstitutional,” said Sen. Ted Cruz following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decisions in the Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard College, and the Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina cases.
"These universities eventually ended these forms of overt discrimination, instead substituting them for a different, more subtle form of discrimination in Affirmative Action. Today the Supreme Court has ended our country’s long and failed experiment with racial quotas and government-sanctioned racial discrimination, and, in the process, restored some measure of objectivity and fairness to the college admissions process.""This is a great day for all Americans,” said Cruz.
Sen. Cruz led an amicus brief on behalf of his fellow senators in these cases, which can be read here.
FACT SHEET: Sen. Cruz has Opposed Racial Discrimination in Higher Education throughout his Senate Tenure
Long a vocal and active opponent of affirmative action discrimination, Sen. Cruz (R-Texas) has worked throughout his time in the Senate to fight such discriminatory practices:
- Sen. Cruz, along with U.S. Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.), filed an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief to the Supreme Court on behalf of a bicameral group of 82 legislators in the cases Students for Fair Admissions vs. Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions vs. University of North Carolina.
- On April 22, 2021, Sen. Cruz forced a roll call vote on an amendment to prohibit Federal funding for any institution of higher education that discriminates against Asian Americans in recruitment, applicant review, or admissions.
- Sen. Cruz wrote a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland expressing concern about the DOJ’s waiver allowing Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar to participate in the case. Prelogar’s impartiality is jeopardized given that her alma mater and former employer, Harvard College, is a party.
- Sen. Cruz wrote an op-ed in National Review with Rep. Michelle Steel opposing affirmative action.
- During the confirmation hearing for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Sen. Cruz asked then-Judge Jackson if she would recuse herself from the Harvard case given that Harvard is her alma mater, and where she also sits on the board of overseers. She replied she planned to recuse herself. Sen. Cruz also asked Judge Jackson for her thoughts on standing under Article III of the Constitution and the lawsuit brought against Harvard for Harvard’s policy of discriminating against Asian Americans.
