Ketanji Brown Jackson plans to recuse on an affirmative action case. How that affects UNC
U.S. Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson answered questions Wednesday about a fight in front of the Supreme Court involving accusations that UNC-Chapel Hill and Harvard University discriminate against Asian American applicants in their admission processes.
Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, asked Jackson if she would consider recusing herself from the Harvard University lawsuit because she’s an alumnus and served on the university’s board of overseers.
“That is my plan, senator,” Jackson said.
In January, the Supreme Court announced it would hear, next term, the cases against UNC-CH and Harvard together, making those among the first Jackson might hear if confirmed. It’s possible those cases could later be separated before reaching the highest court.
The UNC-CH case dates back to 2014 and was brought forward by Students for Fair Admissions, the same group suing Harvard, The News & Observer previously reported. The group accuses UNC-CH of giving Hispanic and Black students preferential treatment in the admission process and discriminating against Asian American and white applicants.
Cruz told Jackson that he thought Harvard’s policy was egregious.
Democratic President Joe Biden nominated Jackson to replace Justice Stephen Breyer, who announced he would retire at the conclusion of the 2021-2022 term.
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This story was originally published March 23, 2022 at 5:13 PM.