US ruling illustrates heated race debate

The US Supreme Court on Thursday found colleges' consideration of race-conscious admissions policies violate the Constitution, a momentous decision overturning decades of precedent on affirmative action.

The court's conservative majority said Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, the nation's oldest private and public colleges, discriminated against white and Asian American applicants by using race-conscious programs that benefited applicants from underrepresented backgrounds.

The majority opinion, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, said both schools violated the Equal Protection Clause because they lack "measurable objectives warranting the use of race" and "involve racial stereotyping".