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‘Not today, Barack. Not today!’ Obamas slammed over mournful takes on SCOTUS affirmative action ruling

June 29, 2023 | | Print Article

Affirmative action was dealt a major blow on Thursday, following a ruling by the Supreme Court that labeled the practice of using race to determine who will be admitted to American colleges a violation of the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.

As previously reported, Students for Fair Admissions, a student activist group dedicated to ending affirmative action, filed lawsuits against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, accusing the institutions of discriminating against Asian American applicants. The group filed the complaint years ago, and it was since broken into two cases.

“At stake in the Harvard case is whether the university violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by discriminating against Asian-American applicants,” Fox News stated earlier this month. “The UNC case, in contrast, looks at that school’s unwillingness to adopt a ‘race-neutral alternative.'”

On Thursday, the Supreme Court struck down the practice in a 6-3 decision.

“Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the court’s opinion. “The student must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual—not on the basis of race. Many universities have for too long done just the opposite.”

In his concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas called out Biden-appointed Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s arguments.

Jackson “locks blacks into a seemingly perpetual inferior caste. Such a view is irrational; it is an insult to individual achievement and cancerous to young minds seeking to push through barriers, rather than consign themselves to permanent victimhood,” Thomas wrote.

Justices Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett joined Roberts in the ruling, with Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissenting, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Society “is not, and has never been, colorblind,” wrote Sotomayor. “The Court ignores the dangerous consequences of an America where its leadership does not reflect the diversity of the People.”

But on Twitter, many are calling the decision a “major win” for America.

“Wow!! Affirmative action, something I have spoken out against for the last 7 years, has FINALLY been struck down in a historic Supreme Court ruling,” conservative commentator Candace Owens tweeted. “This is a MAJOR WIN in the strive for racial equality, removing the bigotry of low expectations against black students, while permitting Asian and white Americans an EQUAL chance to be rewarded for their hard work. RACE should never be a factor in deciding whether or not you are qualified for anything.”

“It’s a shame it took this long, but finally— justice wins!” Owens added. “Make America a meritocracy again.”


Jason Whitlock, host of Blaze TV’s “Fearless,” called the decision a “blessing.”

“Today’s Supreme Court decision is a blessing,” he tweeted. “Virtually every affirmative action Ivy League ‘elite’ I’ve met has no firm moral compass and little common sense.”

“This is good news for fairness and a wakeup call for liberals that the best ‘affirmative action’ is a strong education for everyone,” stated Fox News financial journalist Charles V. Payne. “Stop the bigotry of low expectations, so nobody has to be discriminated against when trying to get into college, gain meaningful employment and live their best life.”

Meanwhile, as The Babylon Bee was quick to point out, Democrats are “devastated.”

“So often, we just accept that money, power, and privilege are perfectly justifiable forms of affirmative action, while kids growing up like I did are expected to compete when the ground is anything but level,” lamented Michelle Obama. “So today, my heart breaks for any young person out there who’s wondering what their future holds — and what kinds of chances will be open to them.”

“Michelle Obama is mad that SCOTUS just ruled Affirmative Action is unconstitutional. She’s mad that people must be judged by the content of their character not the color of their skin,” replied on Twitter user. “The Obamas tried to divide this country. This SCOTUS ruling will help bring us together.”

Michelle wasn’t the only Obama to receive a ton of backlash. When former President Barack Obama decided to piggyback his wife’s tweet with a mournful take over the SCOTUS decision they both got an earful from affirmative action critics:

Melissa Fine
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