A landmark decision has been handed down by the US Supreme Court after years of race-based discrimination against Asian-American and white students. 

The Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College was an ongoing legal dispute that started in 2014 and made its way to the Supreme Court. As per the case, Asian-American students sued Harvard for discriminatory acceptance policies that make it harder for those of Asian descent to get in. Harvard said its policy of favouring black applicants amounted to “equity.”   

Writing for the 6-3 majority, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said the universities have “concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individual’s identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice.”

The Supreme Court’s decision overturned admissions policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, which are America’s oldest private and public colleges, respectively. 

The massive overturn could impact the enrollment practices at every university and college in America.

The debate between equity and equality is front and centre and one that Asian-Americans have been fighting for several years.

Last year, a Chinese-American civil rights group lambasted the New York public school system as racist against Asian-Americans.