INDIANAPOLIS—Today in a 6-2 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action, ruling that race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina were unconstitutional.

Senate Democratic Leader Greg Taylor (D-Indianapolis) released the following remarks about the decision:

“I’m extremely disappointed with the Supreme Court’s decision today. Affirmative action has never been about giving preferential treatment, but about ensuring minority groups who have historically been blocked, overlooked and rejected from higher education have a shot at being fairly evaluated based on their merits. We know that qualified and capable people were dismissed as candidates by schools and jobs based on race and gender. Affirmative action sought to create a level playing field, and I find it incredibly disingenuous to paint the good-faith initiative as a perpetuator of inequality when it was actually created to combat that very thing.

“Today’s decision will lead to a decrease in Black and minority individuals receiving education and career opportunities; we can find evidence when we look at the drop in college admissions of Black students in states that challenged affirmative action in the past. This Supreme Court decision will have the same impact as it did in those states but across the nation. This erosion of progress in educational equality and racial justice is a serious blow. I will continue fighting with my caucus to advance policies in the Indiana Legislature that ensure all students and residents have equal and fair access to learning opportunities and jobs.