WASHINGTON (Michigan News Source) – The U.S. Supreme Court reset the playing field with a ruling saying colleges and universities must stop considering race in admissions. For higher education institutions that have built images around diversity, equity, and inclusion, those schools must find other ways if to achieve those goals.

In a 6-3 decision, the court struck down admissions plans at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. Those institutions are the nation’s oldest private and public colleges. The justices ruled the two programs violate the Constitution’s equal protection clause.

MORE NEWS: No Pressure For Politicians To Finalize State Budget, Until Now

Chief Justice John Roberts, who wrote for a conservative majority, said that for too long universities have “concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individual’s identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice.”

Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented, saying the decision “rolls back decades of precedent and momentous progress.”

The SCOTUS opinion can be viewed here.