US Supreme Court decision on quota admission divides America: Who said what

The US Supreme Court's striking down of race-based admissions at two universities has drawn contrasting reactions from Democrats and Republicans. While President Joe Biden has strongly criticised the decision saying colleges are stronger when they are racially diverse, his predecessor, Donald Trump, called it a “great day for America”.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court banned the use of race and ethnicity in university admissions, dealing a major blow to a decades-old practice that boosted educational opportunities for African-Americans and other minorities. The court said that universities were free to consider an individual applicant's personal experience in weighing their application, but deciding primarily based on the applicant's race was itself racial discrimination.

"Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion.

Who said what:

Joe Biden

The president said the Supreme Court had “done more to unravel basic rights and basic decisions than any court in recent history.”

“I just find it so out of sorts with the basic value system of the American people,” Biden said in an interview.

Donald Trump

The decision marked “a great day for America. People with extraordinary ability and everything else necessary for success, including future greatness for our Country, are finally being rewarded," Trump, the current Republican presidential frontrunner, wrote on his social media network.

Barack Obama

Former US President Barack Obama said in a statement that affirmative action “allowed generations of students like Michelle and me to prove we belonged. Now it’s up to all of us to give young people the opportunities they deserve — and help students everywhere benefit from new perspectives.”

Kamala Harris

US Vice President Kamala Harris said the court's decision to end "affirmative action" in college admissions is "a denial of opportunity".

"The highest court in our land just made a decision today on affirmative action and I feel compelled to speak about it. It is in so very many ways a denial of opportunity," the US Vice President said.

"It is being blind to history, blind to empirical evidence about disparities, and blind to the strength that diversity brings to classrooms, to boardrooms," she said.

Mike Pence

Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence, who is also seeking the 2024 Republican nomination, said he was "honored to have played a role in appointing three of the justices who ensured today's welcomed decision."

Ron DeSantis

Trump's top election rival Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, said the ruling would end what he described as race-based "discrimination" in university applications.

"College admissions should be based on merit and applicants should not be judged on their race or ethnicity," DeSantis wrote on Twitter.

Harvard University

"We write today to reaffirm the fundamental principle that deep and transformative teaching, learning, and research depend upon a community comprising people of many backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences," the university said in a communication signed by leaders of the institution.

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