Nate Raymond

BOSTON (Reuters), – Two cases alleging discrimination against Harvard University, Chapel Hill and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were filed Thursday by opponents of policies that increase Black and Hispanic student numbers on American college campuses.

Students for Fair Admissions, a group that was founded by Edward Blum (anti-affirmative-action activist), asked for a court’s expedite in the UNC case to be heard alongside a Harvard admissions challenge.

Blum stated in a statement that “if the Supreme Court decides (as it should) to reconsider racial preference in college admissions it should look at the question within the context of both private schools and public schools.”

Harvard has declined comment. UNC declined to comment. Both declare their admissions practices to be legal.

SFFA already challenged an appellate court’s rejection of Harvard’s claims that Harvard’s policies discriminate towards Asian Americans. The U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 conservative majority had a chance to stop affirmative actions on college campuses.

Last month, however, a judge dismissed SFFA’s claims in a 2014 case that alleged UNC had discriminated against applicants of Asian and white ancestry.

SFFA argued that justices should consider the UNC case along with Harvard’s, and not go to appellate courts.

In June, the court requested that the U.S. president Joe Biden’s administration weigh in about whether they should consider hearing the Harvard case. But it hasn’t yet.

SFFA claimed that two cases involving affirmative actions were brought before the U.S. Supreme Court almost two decades ago. They bypassed an appeals court and took two cases involving University of Michigan.

In 2003, the justices affirmed affirmative action on campus in a decision that SFFA wanted to overturn.

Harvard claims Title VI of Civil Rights Act prohibits federal funding recipients to use race for admissions. UNC argues the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution compels Harvard to reach the same conclusion for public schools.