NV AG FORD FURIOUS AFTER LOSING SUPREME COURT ASIAN DISCRIMINATION CASE

June 6, 2023

The Nevada Attorney General, Aaron Ford, filed a brief on behalf of all Nevadans in the Supreme Court Case that ended affirmative action in college admissions. Ford’s brief was in favor of discriminating against Asian Americans. On Thursday, June 29, the Supreme Court ruled in the Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina cases that race-based admission policies violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution, doing away with decades of progress in diversifying America’s colleges and universities.

Plaintiff alleged:

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs claimed that Harvard imposes a soft quota of “racial balancing” that artificially depresses the number of Asian-American applicants admitted to Harvard. The plaintiffs maintained that the percentage of Asians admitted to Harvard was suspiciously similar year after year despite dramatic increases in the number of Asian American applicants, as well as the size of the Asian American population.

During the lawsuit, the plaintiffs gained access to Harvard’s individualized admissions files from 2014 to 2019 and aggregate data from 2000 to 2019. The plaintiffs also interviewed and deposed numerous Harvard officials  From these sources, the plaintiffs alleged that Harvard admissions officers consistently rated Asian American applicants, as a group, lower than others on “positive personality traits,” such as likability, courage, and kindness. The plaintiffs alleged that Asian Americans scored higher than applicants of any other racial or ethnic group on other admissions measures like test scores, grades and extracurricular activities, but the students’ personal ratings significantly hampered their admissions chances. The plaintiffs also claimed that alumni interviewers (who, unlike admissions officers within Harvard, actually met individual applicants) gave Asian Americans personal ratings comparable to white applicants. Harvard’s admissions staff testified that they did not believe that different racial groups have better personal qualities than others, but nevertheless, Asian applicants as a racial group received consistently weaker personal scores over the period surveyed, and Harvard’s admissions office rated Asian Americans with the worst personal qualities of any racial group. African-Americans, on the other hand, consistently scored the lowest on the academic rating, but highest on the personal rating.

Bottom line: Harvard discriminated against highly qualified Asians and gave their spots to far less qualified people solely on racial grounds.

NV AG Aron Ford’s Official Statement:

“Today’s ruling directly attacks efforts to reckon with America’s history of racism and the ways it still impacts our lives today. The ruling purports that colorblindness will end racism, but as Judge Jackson writes in her dissent, proceeding in forced ignorance of racial disparities simply allows those disparities to thrive in America,” said AG Ford.

“Institutions of power like the Supreme Court should be working to reduce these disparities, to create a national environment that helps all Americans thrive and succeed,” AG Ford continued. “When an institution that purportedly works for the people directly attacks efforts to create a better nation, it has failed in the role it was given.”

“I am tired, like many of you, with the disappointments that the Supreme Court continues to hand down to Americans under the guise of textual impartiality. Let me promise you this – my disappointment only means I will fight harder. We must not let setbacks push us into apathy,” AG Ford concludes. “Turn your frustration and your anger into a drive to continue fighting to make America a better place for all who live here and call our country home.”

Unnamed UNLV officials issued the following statement

“UNLV is located in a richly diverse community and we’re proud to rank among the nation’s most diverse universities,” the statement said. “We’ll continue to review the court’s ruling to ensure all university policies are in compliance with any updates to federal law, and we remain committed to the ideals of inclusion, diversity, and equity so that every member of our Rebel family feels a strong sense of belonging.” 

That fact is that black Americans can and do compete without Affirmative action just fine. NV AG Aaron Ford is an example of a successful Nevada Black Lawyer who was elected twice as the top law enforcement officer and lawyer in the state. Should his sons get special treatment if they apply to Harvard over an Asian immigrant’s son? Of course not.

The real issue is the horrible public schools that too many black kids are stuck in. It’s ironic that the same black leaders who are slamming the Supreme Court Decision are the same ones who have opposed school choice for poor black kids. If those poor black kids were given a voucher to go to top private schools, then they could compete on an equal footing with Asians. And that’s the real racism in America today.