Q: Did the Supreme Court confirm Harvard's intentional racism against Asian American applicants in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard?

A: The Supreme Court did not confirm that Harvard engaged in intentional racism against Asian American applicants in the Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard case. The Court's 2023 landmark ruling struck down race-based affirmative action in college admissions broadly, but notably did not address the specific allegation of intentional discrimination against Asian Americans that had been at the heart of the case for nearly a decade.

When SFFA initially sued Harvard in 2014, they claimed the university was "intentionally and improperly discriminating" against Asian American applicants through their admissions process. However, both the District Court and the First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Harvard's favor, finding no evidence of "discriminatory animus" against Asian Americans. Expert testimony from economist David Card concluded there was no statistical evidence of discrimination against Asian American applicants.

The Supreme Court's ultimate decision focused on broader constitutional issues, ruling that race-conscious admissions programs violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Importantly, the Supreme Court majority opinion called Harvard's admissions practices "well intentioned and implemented in good faith," praising the "commendable goals" behind the process. This contradicts the common perception that the Court confirmed intentional racism, as the Court actually avoided or omitted this specific claim in its ruling, focusing instead on the constitutionality of race-conscious admissions programs overall.