"This is not a normal court."

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     June 29, 2023 [We knew this day was coming](. But correct prediction does not diminish the cataclysmic decision by the Supreme Court to effectively [ban affirmative action in higher education](. As many have noted, Black and Latino admissions are all but certain to dramatically drop; the country's progress in remedying the pernicious effects of Jim Crow will be halted and reversed; future generations will be punished. My colleagues and in-house SCOTUS experts Stephanie Mencimer and Pema Levy have an [excellent breakdown of the decision here](, which Stephanie and Pema rightfully note comes amid a wider moment of white backlash on the American right against advances toward progress for people of color. For me, that's one of the biggest takeaways from today's decision. That none of this happens in a vacuum. That, [if the wrong people succeed](, more irreparable damage is all but certain to be unleashed. Presidential hopeful and GOP Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his ideological allies pushing such initiatives argue that the Constitution is colorblind. He is now hoping to use this agenda as a springboard to the White House. “The anti-DEI efforts are connected with the anti-affirmative action efforts in the sense that they are trying to erase any notion of systemic discrimination against historically marginalized people of color, including Black people,” says David Hinojosa of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and our “horrid history of slavery and discrimination and the remnants thereof.” Enrollment of racial minorities at selective universities will now, as lower courts warned, assuredly fall. "This is not a normal court," President Biden said in his remarks shortly after today's decision dropped. While I certainly agree, I can't help but think that for a large contingency of the American public, this court is both normal and good, and it's achieving the mission to [fundamentally rethink civil rights]( in a country where few people truly get to enjoy them. —Inae Oh Advertisement [House Donation Ad]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [Supreme Court Strikes Down Universities’ Affirmative Action Programs]( The conservative justices said the admissions policies at Harvard and UNC are unconstitutional. BY PEMA LEVY AND STEPHANIE MENCIMER [We need your help right now] There's no sugarcoating it: We face a real budget crunch and need to raise $390,000 in online donations by June 30 to finish our fiscal year break-even. We've already cut everything we can, and there is zero wiggle room to come up short. So we're hoping that [donations from our regular newsletter readers](, from you reading this blurb right now, will come in much stronger than normal to help us get there. Please pitch in if you can right now. [Donate]( [Trending] [Did Ketanji Brown Jackson sneak a loophole into the Supreme Court's affirmative action ban?]( BY PEMA LEVY   [Breitbart exposed a right-winger's racist texts. How did we even get here?]( BY EAMON WHALEN   [SCOTUS OKs affirmative action—if it helps Black Americans get in “the bunker, not the boardroom”]( BY NIA T. EVANS   ["Let-them-eat-cake obliviousness": Liberal justices blast Supreme Court ruling striking down affirmative action]( BY ARIANNA COGHILL Advertisement [House Sustainer Ad]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [More local and Indigenous communities are getting land back]( Here’s why that’s a win for the environment. BY LYRIC AQUINO Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755