A Wisconsin grant program intended to benefit minority students was struck down by the state’s supreme court as discriminatory on Thursday.
The court relied heavily on a previous U.S. Supreme Court opinion against race-based admission programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina.
‘This is also a big win for taxpayers, who can now challenge many other race-based programs in state court.’
The Minority Undergraduate Retention Grant Program targeted black, Hispanic, and Native American students, as well as immigrants from Cambodia, Laos, or Vietnam who migrated to the U.S. since 1975.
Assistant Attorney General Charlotte Gibson argued that the state program was not restricted by the higher court order and met the standards set forth by the court.
The court disagreed.
“The Constitution requires that every person ‘must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual — not on the basis of race,'” the ruling of the court reads.
During the hearing, Chief Justice Jill Karofsky challenged the plaintiff attorney by citing a post from President Donald Trump about former President Barack Obama that many saw as racist.
“Just last week, the president of the United States posted a remarkably and insanely racist video of President and Michelle Obama depicted as apes,” Karofsky said.
“In this state, people of color contribute to the vitality of our state, and they are thanked by facing disparities when it comes to housing, access to medical care, transportation, incarceration, financial stability, and education,” she added. “Do you take issue with anything I just said up to that point?”
Luke Berg, of the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, responded that the worst discrimination is “when the law treats individuals differently based on their race.”
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The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty’s managing vice president, Dan Lennington, praised the ruling.
“This is a major win for students,” he said. “Race cannot be used to dole out scholarships and other financial aid. This is also a big win for taxpayers, who can now challenge many other race-based programs in state court. WILL is proud to stand for equal rights and make that case everywhere we can.”
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