President Joe Biden on Thursday said he "strongly" disagreed with the US Supreme Court's ruling banning the use of race and ethnicity in university admission policies.
The ruling "walked away from decades of precedent," he said, adding universities "should not abandon their commitment" to create diverse student bodies.
"Discrimination still exists in America," said Biden. "Today's decision does not change that. It's a simple fact that if a student has had to overcome adversity on their path to education, colleges should recognize and value that."
"I believe our colleges are stronger when they are racially diverse... We cannot let this decision be the last word."
Asked by reporters if Thursday's decision by the conservative-dominated panel -- which also voted last year to overturn a nationwide right to abortion -- showed it was a rogue court, Biden took a lengthy pause before finally saying that "this is not a normal court."