The United States Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that race can no longer be considered a factor during admission to universities, the BBC reported.

The court observed that affirmative action admissions programmes violate the US Constitution’s promise of equal protection under the law.

Affirmative action, also known as positive discrimination, aims to counter historical patterns of prejudice against underrepresented groups. In terms of education, it helps in promoting diversity on campuses.

In his ruling, Chief Justice John G Roberts said that students must be treated based on their experiences as an individual and not on the basis of race, reported The Washington Post.

“Many universities have for too long done just the opposite,” he wrote. “And in doing so, they have concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individual’s identity is not challenged bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the colour of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice.”

The court was hearing two pleas involving admissions at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. The court voted 6-2 in the case involving Harvard and 6-3 against the University of North Carolina.

In her dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman appointed to the court, said the decision was truly a tragedy, according to the Associated Press.

“...Today, the majority pulls the ripcord and announces ‘colourblindness for all’ by legal fiat,” Jackson said. “But deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life.”

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in a dissenting opinion, said that the court has rolled back decades of momentous progress.

“The decision subverts the constitutional guarantee of equal protection by further entrenching racial inequality in education, the very foundation of our democratic government and pluralistic society,” she wrote, according to The New York Times.

US President Joe Biden said that he “strongly disagrees” with the court’s verdict.

“Discrimination still exists in America,” he said. “Today’s decision does not change that. It’s a simple fact. If a student had to overcome adversity on their path to education, a college should recognise and value that.”

Former US President Barack Obama also criticised the Supreme Court’s decision, saying that policies like affirmative action were essential to ensure that all students, regardless of race or ethnicity, have the opportunity to succeed.

“Affirmative action was never a complete answer in the drive towards a more just society,” he said. “But for generations of students who had been systematically excluded from most of America’s key institutions – it gave us the chance to show we more than deserved a seat at the table.”

Former Presidents Donald Trump, however, said that the decision marks “a great day for America”.

“People with extraordinary ability and everything else necessary for success, including future greatness for our country, are finally being rewarded,” he added.