Should Race Matter in College Admissions?

Should Race Matter in College Admissions?

From The Argument by Jerusalem Demsas & Matthew Yglesias

April 9, 2026 · 1h 10m

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of the Supreme Court's decision to reject affirmative action in college admissions and its impact on racial discrimination policies.

When the Supreme Court rejected affirmative action at colleges and universities in 2023, finding that Harvard and the University of North Carolina practiced race-based discrimination against Asian American students, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, "eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it." The case, decided along ideological lines, caused a stir among progressives. But was this discrimination the inevitable consequence of affirmative action policies? Or did it si...

People in this episode

Hosts: Jerusalem Demsas, Matthew Yglesias

Topics covered

  • college admissions
  • affirmative action
  • race discrimination
  • Supreme Court
  • education policy

Keywords

  • affirmative action
  • college admissions
  • Supreme Court
  • racial discrimination
  • education

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Harvard, University of North Carolina

Places: 2023

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