Cohen Statement on Supreme Court's Affirmative Action Decision

[MEMPHIS, TN] – Following the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action to uphold Michigan Proposal 2, which reopens the door to discrimination in public education by prohibiting affirmative action in the admission process, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) released the following statement.

“From making discrimination in voting easier to pushing high-quality educations further out of the reach of minorities, the Supreme Court’s slow but steady erosion of the basic rights that every American should expect marks a difficult and dark chapter in our nation’s history,” said Congressman Cohen. “I agree with Justice Sotomayor who, in her dissenting opinion, wrote that judges ‘ought not sit back and wish away, rather than confront, the racial inequality that exists in our society.’ We have fought for too long to protect these rights, and we must not give them up without a fight. As the senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, I will do all that I can to protect the progress we’ve made in securing the civil rights of every American.”

In upholding Michigan Proposal 2 today, the Supreme Court also reiterated that race-conscious admissions procedures in general have been previously upheld and were not struck down under this ruling.