A federal court judge ruled on Tuesday to uphold Harvard University’s race-conscious admissions policy, dealing a stunning blow to anti-affirmative action proponents who had hoped that the case might be a defining issue in next year’s 2020 presidential race.
Judge Allison Burroughs rejected the claim that Harvard had intentionally discriminated against Asian-American applicants and defended the use of race as a consideration in the admissions process, while also acknowledging that affirmative action may fade away in the not too distant future.
“The rich diversity at Harvard and other colleges and universities and the benefits that flow from that diversity will foster the tolerance, acceptance, and understanding that will ultimately make race conscious admissions obsolete,” she said in a 130-page opinion. 
Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard claimed that Asian American students were being discriminated against and were denied admission to the Ivy League institution.
“Students for Fair Admissions is disappointed that the court has upheld Harvard’s discriminatory admissions policies,” the organization’s president, Edward Blum, said in a statement. “We believe that the documents, emails, data analysis and depositions SFFA presented at trial compellingly revealed Harvard’s systematic discrimination against Asian American applicants.”
Civil rights groups, however celebrated the ruling.
“Today’s decision is a critical victory for Asian American students, who benefit from affirmative action and support race-conscious admissions policies,” said Aarti Kohli, executive director of Asian American Advancing Justice. “While we must do more to ensure that Asian American students do not face unequal opportunities through harassment, stereotyping and language barriers, the use of race-conscious admissions policies—which safeguard against discrimination—is an important step.”
