ketanji brown jackson was there when i was here.his is a brilliant human being, and they were hard working. the affluent kids didn't have to work as hard. i wonder what you make of the fact this court seems to think choosing students like you is an affront to the constitution? >> no, it's really crazy. at least in my experience, i really found that my race is my identity. all the stories i have told harvard, which is the reason i got in, were directly correlated with my race because i live as a black woman every single day. and a lot of my peers and counterparts that are also black, like i get to hear their amazing stories and what they get to do every day that you just need in a school like harvard. so yeah. >> andrew, you testified i think in one of the lower court cases. i would love to know what you make of the decision and how you think it will change the university from which you graduated if people cannot freely, the university cannot freely choose students like you? >> thanks, joy. yeah, i think it's important to remember th

laura noted the dissent from justice ketanji brown jackson. was quite visceral, to some degree, and obviously very personal to her. at one point, we've let them eat cake in obliviousness today, pulling the rip cord announcing colorblindness by legal fiat by deeming so does not make it so in life. >> justice sotomayor made the same point, and for all of us who are sort of affirmative action babies, meaning we came in under this regime and got a shot at elite learning and a chance to really succeed in society because of it, ketanji brown jackson is certainly one of those people. if you look at the way things were, she's a realist when it comes to this, at harvard -- harvard started in the 1600s. it's much older than the united states. for 300-plus years they allowed into the college 12 or fewer black students prior to 1970. all of that changed when affirmative action was created. and the minute it happens, it gives rise to this extraordinary group of people who go on to run major corporations. they're running merrill lynch and they're running am

and justice ketanji brown jackson was able to speak to that.here is a way in which the court has suggested that it is leading to originalism and textualism. and by what she's been able to do in this court is to be able to show and expose that the court's originalism is really opportunistic. it is quiet selective. when the court says that it is looking at texts from the 13th, 14th amendment, it is looking at it with a very narrow view. and she's called them out, including by exposing, which we all know, that the reconstruction amendments were a direct response to american slavery and dismantling that system, which was a race based system in the united states that discriminated against enslaved black people. >> this is the thing that i found so thrilling, honestly, about ketanji brown jackson's time in the court so far, which is the project of a kind of reconstruction era, originalism, around those foundational amendments, 13th, 14th, 15th amendments, where she says, hey, you want to talk about the founders? you want to talk about the amendments?

the first black woman to serve on the court, justice ketanji brown jackson, rejected this observe notion in her blistering dissent, quote, it is no small irony that the judgment the majority hands down today will forestall the end of race based disparities in this country, making the colour-blind world the majority wastefully touts much more difficult to accomplish. justice sonia sotomayor, the first hispanic on the court, also rebuke the majority for completely ignoring the reality that structural racism exists and adversely impact students of color. ignoring race will not equalizes society these racially on equal. what was true in the 18 60s and again in 1954's to today. a quality requires acknowledgment of inequality and its core, today's decision exacerbates segregation and diminishes the exclusivity of our nations detections in service of superficial neutrality that promotes indifference to inequality and ignores the reality of race. and it will have real world implications. the new york times reports that highly selective liberal arts colleges, officials expect that the number blac

is ketanji brown jackson speaking on behalf of a group of voices that has never had representation on. when justice jackson was confirmed, we knew that she would spend a lot of time writing dissents, pushing back against this hard right ultimate tra -- ultra conservative supreme court, and her opinion today confirms that she was the right woman for the job. it's eloquent and powerful, but most importantly, justice jackson schools the conservatives on the court about the legacy of white supremacy in this country, and how the whole history of fourth amendment is about trying to remedy that horrific legacy. and the point of the 14th amendment was to create equal justice for black people. today's decision actually upends that history, so justice jackson challenges the conservatives on their own terms. she says they're not actually originalists or believers in the rule of law because if they were, they would have followed the 50 years of precedent on this issue, which supports diversity at colleges and universities. >> peter, after his remarks, president biden was asked if this is a rogue

and of course, ketanji brown jackson and clarence thomas. thomas goes ten pages going at the rationale of ketanji brown jackson, because he believes the focus on race is too much, and focuses on that of asian american ps. and we are aware of the difficult history of asian americans in this country, and from the japanese internment camps, and how can we say that puts them at more of a disadvantage than the other, and is there a difference of the two? but politics and personal experience does come into play. if you read the dissenting, sorry, the concurring opinion from justice thomas, he speaks about his own personal experience of feeling as though, he has written in the autobiography and beyond of the burden of affirmative action and views it as paternalism and not racial sensitivity, and i don't know if we have a full screen of it, but a political notion, and think about this in discussions of the critical race theory, and on page 45 for those following along, and he writes today's 17-year-old after all did not live through the jim crow era

in a fiery dissent ketanji brown jackson called that ruling a tragedy for us all, today she wrote the majority pulls the rip cord and announces color-blindness forou all by lel fiat. but deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life. if the colleges of this country are required tos ignore a thin that matters, it will not just go away, it will take longer for racism to leave us, and ultimately ignoring race just or makes it matter more. joining us now to discuss are melissa murray, and dahlia lithwick. there's a lot to talk about, ladies. melissa, let me start with you. the reason we went back through the history of the rights war against affirmative action is because this is a signal moment. and i think for a lot of people this is similar to what happened to dobbs, a i victory for the right that they have been wanting forth decades, that wil restructure american society. i know we expected it, but what are your initial thoughts about what hasyo happened today? >> i don't think it's hyperbolic to put it in that context. affirmative action perhaps more than any other race c

but now ketanji brown jackson is able to offer a competing view. it matters that she, like justice thomas, is a child of the south. it masters she has richly steeped herself in the history of the civil war amendments, including the 14th amendment. the clarity with which she speaks is so powerful and important because she has the ability to speak both about the history but also the contemporary reality of race in this country. the majority of the supreme court including justice thomas, cloak themselves in this ideal of what they hope this country will one day be. what they then do is kick the ladder out from under those doing the hard work of helping create a multiracial democracy in which there's access and opportunity for all. they confuse people, as your guest kenny xu appeared to be confused about the admissions process in these schools, but also in the very sad belief that he has nothing to learn from students who haven't scored a particular score on the s.a.t. that's precisely the reason i think why these admissions practices are so important,

justice ketanji brown jackson called that out saying this court is prioritizing diversity for the bunkernstead of the board room, as she put it. there is a lot of gray area in this opinion. it will likely lead to litigation in the future about just how far school might take race into consideration, especially when students mention it in personal essays. >> thank you so much for that report. let's get to more of the impact of the historic ruling with the president of howard university, dr. wayne frederick. dr. frederick, thank you so much for joining us. what does this ruling mean for howard university and other historically black colleges and universities around the country? >> it's very concerning. our commitment at howard and the other historically black colleges and universities is one of diversity, one of inclusion, one of social justice and equity. and in our education system, we know that that does not exist currently, and as students come to our higher education institutions, some of them are severely disadvantaged, and by removing affirmative action, you're going to remove an opp

in a fiery dissent, the core courts new justice ketanji brown jackson called the ruling a tragedy for us all. we will let them eat cake obliviousness the majority pulls the record and announces color blindness for all by legal fiat. but deeming race irrelevant to law does not make it so in life. and the colleges of this country are required to ignore a thing that matters, it will not just go away. it will take longer for racism to leave us. and ultimately, ignoring race just makes it matter more. joining us now to discuss our melissa murray, nbc legal analyst and -- the senior editor at slate and host of the amicus podcast. there is a lot to talk about ladies. melissa, let me start with you. the reason we went back to the history of the rights war against affirmative action is because this is a signal moment. for a lot of people this is similar to what happened with dobs. a victory for the right that they had been wanting for decades, that will restructure american society. i know we expected it, but what are your initial thoughts about what has happened today. >> i don't think it's h

justice ketanji brown jackson, the court's first black woman justice, calling the decision, quote, a tragedy for us all. saying deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life. tonight, president biden again saying this is not a normal court, when asked a question today at the white house. you'll see the moment. terry moran at the court. mary bruce in the studio with me. and rachel scott on how this immediately becomes an issue in the race for president. >>> also tonight, more than 130 million americans under air quality alerts tonight. millions more suffering from that intense heat growing more deadly today. the smoke from the canadian wildfires now blanketing 23 states, from wisconsin to the northeast. washington, d.c. and detroit with the worst air quality in the world today. and the heat. tonight, the amazon delivery driver nearly collapsing on a front porch. rob marciano timing this all out. >>> the officer in the parkland school shooting seen on video, he stayed outside the school with the gunman in that school, found not guilty today on all counts. after being accus

and ketanji brown jackson was sworn in today as the first black female supreme court justice. f, that included in their library and some of their teachings one of your books or some of your books, one of them being "antiracist baby." what was it like seeing your work being used that way, sort of misused as a cudgel for political persons in supreme court confirmation hearings? >> i think it was very difficult for me at first because i didn't know what impact it would have on her actual confirmation. >> stephen: that you wouldn't want to do anything to possibly hurt her chances. >> ibram: exactly. so the fact that justice jackson was sworn in today, you know, was certainly -- i'm just excited about it as everyone else, probably even more excited about because of what happened. but what i also thought about is that, like, literally -- i suspect that senator cruz didn't read how to be an antiracist. it's a couple of hundred pages. but... >> stephen: i'm guessing holding this up is not one of the things you do to be an antiracist. >> ibram: no, and i would just hope -- okay, if you'

but justice ketanji brown jackson calling this out in a dissent saying that the court is essentially prioritizing diversity in the bunker versus the board room. jessica schneider, cnn, washington. >>> here is president biden after the decision came down. >> dissent states in the decision rolls back decades of precedent and momentous progress. end quote. i break with tf agree with thatm the dissent. the court has effectively ended affirmative action in college admissions and i strongly, strongly disagree with the court's decision. >> jasmine wright is live in washington, d.c. for us. we're learning how the white house has been preparing for the ruling. >> reporter: yeah, even as just as late as last year, president biden publicly expressed optimism at the fact hoping that the supreme court wouldn't rule in this way. behind the scenes white house officials have been meeting for weeks before the decision really trying to plan for contingencies. it included meetings with civil rights organizations, legal organizations, universities as well as meeting with the department of education real

ketanji brown jackson. despite recusing herself from hearing the harvard companion case she decided to chime in on the nc state decision, coming darn to personally attacking justice clarence brosseau who wrote that powerful concurrence. jackson accused him of having "an obsession with race consciousness," and also this. she wrote the takeaway is those who demand no one think about race, a classic pink elephant paradox, refuse to see much less solve for the elephant in the room. the race link disparities that continue to impede achievement of our nation's great potential. our country, she writes, has never been color-blind. just as clarence thomas, again in that barn burner of a concurrence, wrote a devastating rebuke to follow justice jackson, as she sees things we're all trapped in a fundamentally racist society, with the original sin of slavery and the historical subjugation of black americans still determining lives today. she uses her broad observations about statistical relationships between race and s

that's why you saw a really interesting clash between the two black supreme court justices, ketanji brown jackson and sonya -- i'm sorry, and clarence thomas with, you know, what you heard from ketanji brown jackson was don't be an ostrich don't put your head in the sand race is still a factor. thomas saying race should not be a consideration. i would think to myself, wait a second, even at any of these schools, i don't care which ones you pick, all the kids are qualified who are admitted. no one is admitted solely on the basis that's a black kid that's a white kid there's an asian. these are quad feud kids and schools are making decisions within that pool of qualified people. the military has to do it, corporations have to do i see because we all know that the populations are changing, the marketplace is changing. kids want to go to diverse schools. >> and interestingly, the military was sort of -- military colleges and universities were exempt from today's decision. jason, the folks who support today's ruling, by and large, argue that this forces admissions boards to consider students as indivi

but justice ketanji brown jackson calling this out in a dissent saying that the court is essentially prioritizing diversity in the bunker versus the board room. jessica schneider, cnn, washington. >>> ruling to strike down affirmative action was expected and the biden white house says it has been meeting with education officials to chart a path forwards. but president biden was clearly irritated by the decision saying this is not a normal court. he amplified on that later on msnbc. take a listen. >> what i meant is it has done more to unravel basic rights and basic decisions than any court in recent history. and that is what i meant by it, not normal. just so out of sorts with the basic value system of the american people. and i think that across the board the vast majority of the american people don't agree with a lot of the decisions the courts are making. >> by contrast former president trump called it a great day for america, we're going back to all merit base. and that is the way it should be. >>> police in france say they arrested nearly 700 people on the third night of protest

justice ketanji brown jackson, the first black woman on the court, pushed back in a separate dissent, bashing the majority opinion as exuding a let them eat cake obliviousness and said that a damning race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life. >> the supreme court saying that u.s. military service academies can continue to take race into consideration as a factor in admissions, essentially examining those military schools from this ruling. now this was spelled out in a footnote in the majority opinion, but justice ketanji brown jackson calling this out in a dissent, saying that the court is essentially prioritizing diversity in the bunker versus the boardroom. just a schneider, cnn, washington. >> okay, let's bring in richard kohlenberg, he is a nonresident scholar at georgetown university and an expert witness for the student group involved in bringing the lawsuits against harvard in u.n.c.. thank you so much for being here, tell us your reaction to this decision. >> well, i think that this was a win for working class students and poor students, and the reason that i say that

ketanji brown jackson writing, with less than eat cake majority today, pulls the rip cord and announces color blindness for all. but deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life. conservatives are cheering this decision. john roberts, who wrote the majority opinion, said harvard and the university of north carolina, the two schools at the center of this, that those programs violated the constitution. writing, quote, the student must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual, not on the basis of race. joining us now with more on what all of this could mean going forward is a member of the senate judiciary committee, democratic senator alex padilla of california. senator, thank you for joining us tonight. do you see this ruling as a step backwards? >> kaitlan, thanks for having me on such an important day. not only is it a step backwards. this ruling really does take us back decades. yet again, another example of an extremist majority on this supreme court undoing decades -- decades -- or precedent. and in this case, undoing affirmative action, which, you k

justice ketanji brown jackson in the rebuttal wrote, with let them eat cake obliviousness today, they announce color blindness for all by legal fiat. but deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life. the court noted the decision will not take effect immediately. in a concurring opinion, justice brett kavanaugh wrote the ruling would apply to students first starting college in 2028. reverend sharpton, yesterday morning, you and i discussed this. you anticipated this ruling. most people expected it to go this way. you had begun to walk us through some of the follow-on effects from this decision. how are you looking at it this morning? >> well, i think it was as bad or worse than i had thought. clearly, the court, in my judgment, stuck a dagger in the back of many of us that feel that we need to continue to legally protect people that have had to deal with historic inequities. you must understand, affirmative action started under the nixon administration, written by arthur fletcher. this was a conservative remedy to equalize the fact that blacks by law couldn't go to certai

behalf of herself, justice elena kagan, and the court's first african american female justice, ketanji brown jacksonwho during all these 50 minutes of high drama just stared straight out at the spectators and just, you know, just seemed to be quite tense and stone faced in the face of what was happening here. >> such a fascinating dichotomy specifically between clarence thomas and sonia sotomayor, two people who at different points of their lives benefited from affirmative action. clearly both of them very successful. they both went to yale law school in the '70s. yet they have very different views of this issue. >> that's exactly right. you know, we see the polls find that the country is very divided on this. but that, you know, again -- >> i am sorry to interrupt you. students for fair admissions who are the folks who brought the suit, are speaking. let's listen. >> today's decision has started a new chapter in the saga of the history of asian americans in this country. it marks the promise of new beginning, a resurgence of the principles of the american dream, and a return to the egalitarian prin

justice ketanji brown jackson, the court's first black woman justice, wrote in a dissenting opinion -- "with let-them-eat-cake obliviousness, today, the majority pulls the ripcord and announces 'colorblindness for all' by legal fiat." after headlines, we'll host a roundtable discussion on the supreme court's ruling on affirmative action. in california, a state task force has released its final report proposing reparations for the harms done to black families due to slavery, segregation, and racial discrimination. the panel is asking california lawmakers and governor gavin newsom to approve monetary compensation to black residents for mass incarceration, racist policing, housing discrimination, healthcare inequalities, and environmental racism. cheryl grills, a member of the california reparations task force, noted the report was released thursday morning just as the supreme court struck down affirmative action. >> i would encourage the supreme court to read the interim report. i would encourage them to read the final report and to understand that the legacy of slave meant, the ongoing

justice sotomayor wrote a blistering dissent, and justice ketanji brown jackson, who recused herself from the harvard case because of ties to the school wrote this in dissent on north carolina, "with let them eat cake obliviousness today, the court pulls the ripcord and announces blind by all legal fiat, but erasing it so in law does not make it so in life." president biden, meantime, offered this. >> we cannot let this decision be the last word. we cannot let this decision be the last word. while the court can render a decision, it cannot change what america stands for. >> he also said this is not a normal court, but later restated that saying this court has done more to unravel basic rights and basic decisions than any court in recent history that said, the ruling leaves two back doors. one, it does not apply to military academies. and two, admissions offices can consider race as mentioned in application essays, something that justice sonia sotomayor in her dissent called a false promise to save face, in her words. no one is fooled. cnn was in the room where this opinion was read a

and, justice ketanji brown jackson, the very first african american woman on the court, who really lost in this dispute, is looking out at spectators. tense, stonefaced, but not looking at her colleagues. trying apparently to betray any kind of emotion. she did, not just his son elijah mueller incorporate some of her thoughts into her dissent from the bench. but justice jackson said nothing, looked straight ahead. now some of the other justices watched the chief, and justice thomas as they read, looking over. but, you could have heard a pin drop in that room, john, cheering as i said, the nearly hour of reading. >> -- a witness to history, once again, thank you for sharing those moments with. us >> with us now, cnn's laura coats and van jones. and with me here, kenji -- he is the chief justice earl warned professor of constitutional law at nyu law school. justice warren wrote the unanimous opinion in brown versus board of education. then i just want to start with you, obviously, an historic day. what's your reaction to the >> i was born in 1968, the year they kill dr. king, the year the

ketanji brown jackson. the court's first black female justice call decision truly a tragedy for assault. the supreme court had twice upheld race conscious college admission programs in the past 20 years, including as recently as 2016 at arguments in late october, all 6 conservative justices expressed doubts about the practice which hat been upheld under supreme court decisions reaching back to 1978 now president biden is set to address the court's decision coming up at 9.30. we will bring that to you live. what happens back to you. all right. thank you very much. to me. and now joining us to discuss more on this is professor roy little with uc college of law, san francisco. yes, professor of little, thank you so much for joining us once again. always a pleasure to talk with you. >> i want try to clarify a little bit about what your reporter just said. the rendered a more careful decision. they did not say you cannot consider race as a factor it's not as you can consider it as a stereotype. you can't conside

a supreme court justice, ketanji brown jackson has disclosed that she has received some expensive gifts. the details of those gifts given to justice jackson were among the reports provided by most members of the court in their annual filings. now, they included a $1,200 congratulate tary floral display from oprah and nearly $6,600 in designer clothing for a magazine photoshoot during her first months as the first black woman on the supreme court. pope francis is now in the hospital recovering from abdominal surgery. the pontiff underwent the procedure at rome's general university hospital to repair a hernia. doctors say the surgery lasted about three hours and was completed without complications. the 86 year old pope is expected to stay in the hospital now for several days as he recovers. the subsequent operation and the general anesthesia will well-trained by the pope. now he's awakened. he is fine. and he's already at work. the surgery comes two years after the pope had part of his colon removed and just two months after he endured a bout of bronchitis. still ahead, the pandemic drove

in the one involving harvard, it was 6-2 with liberal-leaning justice ketanji brown jackson recusing. the decision has widespread implications for families, students and colleges. president biden reacted to it earlier. >> i also believe that while talent, creativity and hard work are everywhere across this country, not equal opportunity. it is not everywhere across this country. we cannot let this decision be the last word. we cannot let this decision be the last word. while the court can render a decision, it cannot change what america stands for. >> we are covering every angle of this developing story. let's begin with nbc news correspondent julia ainsley outside the supreme court. julia, in simple terms, what just happened inside the court? >> reporter: well, in simple terms, affirmative action as we know it ended at 10:00 a.m. today. with that overwhelming majority, 6-3, right along those partisan lines upon the presidents that appointed these justices, overturning decades of precedent that allowed clejs and universities, public and private, to look at race when trying to make de

have ketanji brown jackson when this case came down today . cksoame down today well, john, this be just an amazing day for you, young mann, ,because, you know, you join this case as a plaintiff. you got a lot of grief for it. and today, harvard's communique to the greater harvard community was that this was a veryard comm difficult day. ro your response to harvard's reactionns to really validatingl your claims that this was unconstitutional from the outset? yeah, i mean, i'm very happyd iv that the supreme court ruled in favor of the sfa, but i'd just like to say that there's definitely a lot of fight left to and this is just a court ruling and we still need to execute and make sure that race is eliminated from college admissions. m >> carry my concern thatco i mentioned in the angle is that the left never stops. they just keep they aretural energizer bunny ears on these cultural issues. they will die on those hillsiss and are you concerned that there won'you conct be an easy e to ensure that they comply with this and not tryo back to backdoor

justice ketanji brown. jackson issued a blistering dissent, saying with let them eat cake obliviousness . today, the majority pulls the ripcord and announces colorblindness for all by legal fiat. the dissent here is saying that you can consider race because the equal protection clause is something that embraces trying to get to a more equal society. in california, public universities have been banned from using race as an admissions factor since the passage of prop 209in 1996. private institute must now follow suit. cal schools have used other factors like socioeconomic status and geographic measures, but have struggled to enroll a racially diverse student body. we all well know is that after the passage of proposition two nine, there was an immediate chilling effect in the number of applications by black and latino students. some going down over 50, almost 30 years later. we still yet to recover. president biden also said he is directing the department of education to analyze what practices help build a more inclu

now, justice ketanji brown jackson a fierce rebuttal. she wrote this. with let them eat cake obliv sness today the majority pulls the rip cord and announces color-blindness for all by legal fiatt. she goes onto write but deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life. the court noted that the decision will not take effect immediately. in a conquering opinion, justice brett kavanaugh wrote the ruling would first apply to students starting college in 2028. following yesterday's rulings president joe biden expressed his disappointment in remarks he made from the white house. >> while the court can render a decision, it cannot change what america stands for. america is an idea, an idea unique in the world, an idea of hope and opportunity, of possibilities of giving everyone a fair shot, of leaving no one behind. we've never fully lived up to it, but we've never walked away from it either. we will not walk away from it now. what i propose for consideration is a new standard where colleges take into account the adversity a student has overcome whe

believe in our freedoms including -- thank you, including associates -- associate justice ketanji brown jackson. that's why we're all here today, that's why our organizations are uniting once again to make this historic endorsement and kick off our campaign now. and from one president to another, i've got to say, this is a big effing deal. [applause] in 22 states, plus the district of columbia right here, we have pro-reproductive freedom majorities in power who are codifying our right into law. this is what what happens when we elect pro-reproductive freedom majorities. we've got to finish the job. these changes are happening because abortion matters to everyday lives of everyday people. poll after poll including polls just this week shows that a majority of americans support abortion rights and oppose abortion bans. this includes, and this is really important, an increasing number of independents and republicans. support for abortion access is at a record high. which means we have a moral obligation to engage these americans. in 2024 to deliver critical wins for our communities to restore and

>> and jessica, to this point, an excerpt from ketanji brown jackson, and this is on the north carolina case, because she recused herself from the harvard case because of her association with harvard. justice jackson writes, with let them eat cake obliviousness, the justices pull the rip cord and color blindness for all by fiat, irrelevance in law does not make it so in life. and this country's experiences, has brought the crucial work of unc and other institutions of higher learning are doing to solve america's real world problems. no one benefits from ignorance she writes, and although formal race-linked barriers are gone, race still matters to the lived experiences to all americans in innumerable ways and today's ruling is going to make things worse not better. the best it can say is that it is going to proceed parenthetically ostrich-like, in the hope of the ending of race will end racism. >> the ending of race will end racism. >> and elie hoe annig, it is something that is put out there for posterity now, and what matters is the majority opinion, and this is the law. >> that is the

in a scathing dissent, justice ketanji brown jackson, the first black woman on the court, wrote, "with let them eat cake obliviousness the majority pulls the rip cord and announces colorblindness for all by legal fiat." the cases were brought by conservative activist richard blum's admissions arguing the schools discriminated against white and asian applicants like calvin yang. >> it is my hope to see a renewed college admissions system that recognizes and rewards the multifaceted talents and diverse perspective that each individual can bring to the table. >> reporter: chief justice roberts wrote that universities can still consider the discussion of how race affected an applicant's life, say in an essay. a notion that justice sonia sotomayor called nothing but an attempt to put lipstick on a pig. president biden slammed the ruling. >> this is not normal. >> reporter: while republicans praised the decision as ending discrimination. so this ruling does not apply to military academies or end legacy admissions processes. meanwhile, on this final day before the court's summer recess, we co

in her dissent ketanji brown jackson listed the institutional roadblocks people of color have had to overcome writing that, quote, deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life. >> we cannot let this decision be the last word. >> reporter: president biden urging colleges and universities to remain committed to diversity under a new standard. >> where colleges take into account the adversity a student has overcome when collecting among qualified applicants. >> reporter: the court did leave the door open for universities to consider things like student essays discussing the impact of race on their lives, quote, as long as that discussion is concretely tied to a quality of character or unique ability. responding to a reporter's question, president biden also said that this was not a normal court and he noted that he was directing the department of education to analyze what practices help ensure a diverse student body and what could potentially be eliminated, like legacy admissions, that he says expand privilege. in washington, alice barr, nbc news. >> thank you, alice. >>>

justice ketanji brown jackson writing in dissent, with let at cake obliviousness today, the majority pulls the rip cord and announces color blindness for all by fiat. justice thomas, quote, experts and elites have been wrong before. the stakes are simply too high to gamble. reaction to this ruling has been swift and polarizing. today we spoke with a junior at uc berkeley who was part of the group that broad forward these cases. he says he believes the decision will make it possible for all people to achieve the american dream. >> today's decision has started a new chapter in the saga of the history of asian americans in this country. it marks the promise of a new beginning, a resurgence of the principles of the american dream. it belongs to all of us, who deserve a chance, but can now rejoice over the fact that at least our kids can be judged based on their achievements and merits alone. >> bay area congressman ro khanna disagrees. he says this decision does a disservice to our future leaders. >> the harm this is going to do for students, not just black and latino students, but white

her name is justice good tunzi brown jackson -- justice catania brown jackson -- justice ketanji ronnykson. this upcoming monday, americans from all walks of life will come together to celebrate juneteenth and honor black cast -- excellence, culture and community, to remember the full history of our nation. and to celebrate one of our nation's founding principles, the principal of freedom. on juneteenth, we remember that after the emancipation proclamation ended slavery and the confederacy, hundreds of thousands of americans attest this -- in texas, were kept in servitude for two more years and on june 19, 1865, union troops arrived in galveston to enforce emancipation and the enslaved people of texas plain the freedom that was there is by birth and by right. [applause] as we celebrate, we remember it would be six months more before the 13th amendment was ratified and all enslaved people in america were declared free. america is a promise of freedom, liberty and justice. the story of juneteenth, as we celebrate it, is the story of our ongoing fight to realize that promise, not just for

and in a separate dissent, justice ketanji brown jackson, the court's first black female justice said the majority was turning back the clock on affirmative action, writing the deeming race of relevant in law does not make it so in life. in his remarks earlier today, the president added that despite the supreme court's ruling colleges must still take into account the amount of adversity a student has faced in their life. we know the department of education has released a fact sheet to colleges nationwide about how to move forward. now to advising schools to consider a student's financial background and other areas of hardship which can include racial discrimination. we'll keep you posted live in the newsroom. i'm grant lotus kron. 4 news, ken and pam, back to hugh grant. thank you. while many would think today's ruling would have the most >> effect on california, which is known for its liberal politics sense not necessarily the case. yeah, that's because back in 1996, california voters approved prop 209, which prevented california public universities from considering race as one of th

justice ketanji brown jackson, the first black woman to serve on the high court, wrote in her dissenth let them eat cake obliviousness, the majority pulls the rip cord and announces colorblindness for all by legal fiat. clarence thomas, the court's other black justice, responded, quote, justice jackson uses her broad observations about statistical relationships between race and select measures of health, wealth, and well-being to label all blacks as victims. >> we won't go back! >> reporter: outside the court, students and civil rights leaders assembled to protest. >> i think in this moment in time, it's important for every institution from colleges to corporations to commit to pledge to diversity no matter what. >> reporter: ed blum, the president of students for fair admissions, brought the case to the court, arguing race should not factor into admissions decisions at all. >> ending racial preferences in college admissions is an outcome that the vast majority of all americans, of all races, will celebrate. >> reporter: cbs news polling shows that 70% of americans think race should n

and the understanding that the supreme court shared in their committee has opinion and the ketanji brown jackson in her dissent is right. we are a society that wants our country, that what we look like does not impede opportunity but we do not live in it and that is why we will fight together and unify an outlet those who try to fit our communities against one another to succeed. but that, i went to ask damon humid -- with that, i want to ask damon hewitt. >> this is a challenging day, not just for students, not just advocates but a challenging day for this nation. today, the united states supreme court got it wrong. my organization was founded by president kennedy in 1963, a pivotal summer for this civil-rights unit. it was founded with a racially integrated group of lawyers came together to put skin in the game to advance civil rights. it is not even clear organization could have been founded or floors over the hills -- founded or floors over those years. this court decided not to fully overrule the president. it did not affirm a long-standing president --prece dent. and did something in the m

here is a portion of whatjustice ketanji brown jackson had to say when this case was first argued befored at the history and traditions of the history and traditions of the constitution and what the framers and founders thought about and when i drilled down to that level of analysis, it became clear to me that the framers themselves adopted the equal protection clause, the 14th amendment, the 15th amendment, in a race conscious way, that they were in fact trying to ensure that people who had been discriminated against, the freedom then during the reconstruction. , were actually brought equal to everybody else in society. to get more analysis on the wave of recent decisions, i spoke with shan wu, formerfederal prosecutor, emily birnbaum, bloomberg legal reporter and justin hansford, associate law professor at howard university. this would have given states almost unlimited power on election law. what was the judges' reasoning in their decision? they said that, you know, the state had argued that the republican lawmakers in the state had argued that the constitution basically enabled this,

and in a separate dissent, justice ketanji brown jackson, the court's first black female justice said the majority was turning back the clock on affirmative action, writing deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life. in his remarks earlier today, the president added that despite the supreme court's ruling colleges must still take into account the amount of adversity a student has faced in their life. we know the department of education has released a fact sheet to colleges nationwide on how to move forward. they are advising schools to consider a student's financial background and other areas of hardship, which can include racial discrimination. and a reminder that here in california voters back in 1996, chose to ban affirmative action in public schools. but following today's ruling, private schools like stanford or santa clara university right here in the bay area may have to consider making some changes reporting live in the newsroom. stephanie lin kron, 4 news. thank you, stephanie. >> governor newsom was talking about that supreme court ruling today. he says that r