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Supreme Court rejects Boston parents' appeal claiming racial bias in an admissions policy

In 2020, these schools temporarily halted their entrance exam requirements due to the pandemic limiting their ability to have in-person examinations. They instead selected students based on their grade point averages and ZIP code.

The Supreme Court denied a case related to school admissions on Monday. ((Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images))

The Supreme Court ultimately rejected the case, with Justice Neil Gorsuch explaining the court has no need to hear it since the policy was revised.

"The parents and students do not challenge Boston’s new policy, nor do they suggest that the city is simply biding its time, intent on reviving the old policy.  Strictly speaking, those developments may not moot this case. But, to my mind, they greatly diminish the need for our review," Gorsuch wrote.

The policy was only in place for one year and was replaced for the 2022-2023 school year with a plan that relies on standardized testing.

Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented from the decision, describing the policy as "a glaring constitutional error that threatens to perpetuate race-based affirmative action."

In 2023, the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions, declaring race cannot be a factor and forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

"I would reject root and branch this dangerously distorted view of disparate impact. The Court, however, fails to do so today, so I must respectfully dissent," Alito wrote.

The Boston School Committee further argued to the court that the case is no longer relevant and was implemented and ended prior to the Supreme Court’s affirmative action decision.

"The same students were eligible to apply again in 2022 under a new process that they do not challenge, and (if they applied) were either unsuccessful or already admitted," the committee wrote.

Boston parents alleged city schools discriminated against White and Asian students based on its temporary admissions policy. (Reuters)