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60  STUDENTS FOR FAIR ADMISSIONS, INC. v. PRESIDENT 

AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE 
SOTOMAYOR, J., dissenting 

race in college admissions to achieve racially diverse classes
is  critical  to  improving  cross-racial  understanding  and
breaking down racial stereotypes.  See supra, at 16.  Indeed, 
the record shows that some Asian American applicants are
actually “advantaged by Harvard’s use of race,” Harvard II, 
980  F. 3d,  at  191,  and  “eliminating  consideration  of  race 
would significantly disadvantage at least some Asian Amer-
ican applicants,” Harvard I, 397 F. Supp. 3d, at 194.  Race-
conscious holistic admissions that contextualize the racial 
identity of each individual allow Asian American applicants
“who would be less likely to be admitted without a compre-
hensive understanding of their background” to explain “the 
value  of  their  unique  background,  heritage,  and  perspec-
tive.”  Id., at 195.  Because the Asian American community
is not a monolith, race-conscious holistic admissions allow 
colleges  and  universities  to  “consider  the  vast  differences 
within [that] community.”  AALDEF Brief 4–14.  Harvard’s 
application  files  show  that  race-conscious  holistic  admis-
sions allow Harvard to “valu[e ] the diversity of Asian Amer-
ican applicants’ experiences.”  Harvard College Brief 23.

Moreover, the admission rates of Asian Americans at in-
stitutions  with  race-conscious  admissions  policies,  includ-
ing at Harvard, have “been steadily increasing for decades.” 
Harvard II, 980 F. 3d, at 198.39  By contrast, Asian Ameri-
can enrollment declined at elite universities that are pro-
hibited by state law from considering race.  See  AALDEF 
Brief 27; Brief for 25 Diverse, California-Focused Bar As-
sociations et al. as Amici Curiae 19–20, 23.  At bottom, race-
conscious admissions benefit all students, including racial
minorities.  That includes the Asian American community. 
Finally,  JUSTICE  THOMAS  belies  reality  by  suggesting
that “experts and elites” with views similar to those “that 
—————— 

39 At  Harvard,  “Asian  American  applicants  are  accepted  at  the  same 
rate as other applicants and now make up more than 20% of Harvard’s 
admitted classes,” even though “only about 6% of the United States pop-
ulation is Asian American.”  Harvard I, 397 F. Supp. 3d, at 203.