In 2023, the Supreme Court issued one of the clearest and most important civil rights rulings in decades in the case, Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. The court held that Harvard University’s race-conscious admissions systems violated the Equal Protection Clause and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all racial discrimination. Universities receiving federal funds may not classify applicants by race and treat them differently because of their race.