The Heights

“Pockets of Hope”: The Evolution of Black Student Enrollment at BC

Annika Engelbrecht • February 17, 2025

Boston College has worked to increase Black student enrollment since 1968. After the 2023 Supreme Court ban on affirmative action, BC adapts with new admissions strategies, focusing on diversity, community partnerships, and holistic reviews to maintain inclusivity.

Supreme Court Rejects Race-Based Affirmative Action in College Admissions

Natalie Arndt • June 29, 2023

The Supreme Court of the United States ruled to ban affirmative action in college admissions on Tuesday afternoon, voting 6–2 against Harvard University and 6–3 against the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in a landmark decision.

How the Supreme Court Might Endanger Diversity at BC

Elise Jarvis • April 30, 2023

The Supreme Court’s conservative majority is setting itself up to overturn affirmative action in college admissions this year. Without it, racial diversity in higher education will be permanently damaged—unless Boston College and other top universities radically change their admissions selection criteria.

The Interconnectedness of the Dobbs Decision and Substantive Due Process: A Discussion with Professor James Fleming

Callie Oxford and Lucy Freeman • October 16, 2022

The Center for Human Rights and International Justice hosted the Wednesday panel at Boston College Law School, which focused on Fleming’s most recent book, Constructing Basic Liberties: A Defense of Substantive Due Process, as well as the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision.

Should the Supreme Court Lose its Power?

Sophie Carter • March 16, 2022

With the recent announcement of United States Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement and the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, there is a renewed attention on...

Former U.S. Senator and BC Law Visiting Professor Doug Jones to Guide Supreme Court Nominee

Erin Shannon • February 6, 2022

Former U.S. Senator Doug Jones, the current Jerome Lyle Rappaport distinguished visiting professor at Boston College Law School, will act as a “sherpa” for President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court nominee, guiding them through the confirmation process in the Senate.

Carter: Amy Coney Barrett’s Originalism is Dangerous. Very Dangerous.

Sophie Carter • October 27, 2020

Originalism is a deeply partisan, political ideology that shrouds itself in the language of protecting the Constitution and democracy through serious intellectual rigidity. With Barrett now confirmed to the Supreme Court, the convincing, yet hollow, rhetoric of this formidable ideology on the court will be a force to contend with if we want to protect civil and human rights in America.