U.S. appeals court upholds Harvard University affirmative action program

A U.S. appeals court on Thursday upheld Harvard University's use of race in undergraduate admissions, rejecting a challenge by affirmative action opponents who said the school's policy discriminates against Asian-Americans. The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston rejected the claims by Students for Fair Admissions, a nonprofit founded by anti-affirmative action activist Edward Blum, in a dispute that may eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

A U.S. appeals court on Thursday upheld Harvard University's use of race in undergraduate admissions, rejecting a challenge by affirmative action opponents who said the school's policy discriminates against Asian-Americans.

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston rejected the claims by Students for Fair Admissions, a nonprofit founded by anti-affirmative action activist Edward Blum, in a dispute that may eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court. The court rejected claims by the group, which has the support of President Donald Trump's administration, that the Ivy League school engaged in impermissible "racial balancing" to benefit other preferred minority groups, such as Blacks and Hispanics.

Representatives for Harvard and SFFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs last year ruled that while Harvard's admissions program is "not perfect," it had no "workable and available race-neutral alternatives" to ensure a diverse student body.

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