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The US Supreme Court has ruled that race can no longer be considered as a factor in university admissions. The landmark ruling upends decades-old US policies on so-called affirmative action, also known as positive discrimination. Affirmative action first made its way into policy in the 1960s, and has been defended as a measure to increase diversity. US President Joe Biden said he "strongly" disagreed with Thursday's much-anticipated decision. "We cannot let this decision be the last word," he said. "Discrimination still exists in America." "This is not a normal court," he added of the nine justices, who are ideologically split between six conservatives and three liberals. What impact is the decision likely to have on American universities? Newsday spoke with Justin Hansford from the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Department at Howard’s University in Washington DC. (Photo shows: People embrace each other as demonstrators for and against the U.S. Supreme Court decision to strike down race-conscious student admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina confront each other, in Washington, U.S. Credit: Reuters)