President Joe Biden on Thursday strongly condemned the United States Supreme Court’s decision to strike down affirmative action in college admissions, saying “we cannot allow this decision to be the last word” and calling on colleges to take new steps to ensure diverse student bodies.

“Today, the court once again walked away from decades of precedent, as the dissent has made clear,” Biden said in remarks following the release of the Supreme Court’s decision. “I strongly, strongly disagree with the court's decision, because affirmative action is so misunderstood."

Driven by a conservative majority, the Supreme Court overturned admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina in a 6-3 vote among justices, declaring that race cannot be a factor in admissions.

What You Need To Know

  • In a speech at the White House on Thursday, President Joe Biden condemned the Supreme Court's ruling striking down affirmative action for college admissions

  • Biden said he is directing the Department of Education to “analyze what practices help build more inclusive and diverse student bodies and what practices hold that back"

  • Biden on Thursday urged colleges to implement a “new standard,” in which universities consider the students’ backgrounds and any adversities they have overcome when “selecting among qualified applicants"

“This is not a normal court,” Biden said at the White House in response to a reporter’s question.

The president later elaborated during a live interview with MSNBC, saying “it's done more to unravel basic rights and basic decisions than any court in recent history, and that’s what I meant by not normal.”

Biden, however, expressed hesitancy on expanding the court, an idea some Democrats have supported to counter the conservative tilt.

"I think if we start the process of trying to expand the court, we're going to politicize it, maybe forever, in a way that is not healthy," Biden said Thursday on MSNBC.

“The truth is, we all know, discrimination still exists in America,” Biden said in his remarks at the White House. “Discrimination still exists in America. Discrimination still exists in America. Today’s decision has not changed that simple fact.”

Biden said he is directing the Department of Education to “analyze what practices help build more inclusive and diverse student bodies and what practices hold that back.” The president said the department will be looking into practices such as legacy admissions, in which an applicant is given preference if a family member attends or attended the same university.

The White House said on Thursday the Education Department, along with the Department of Justice, will provide resources on lawful admissions practices following the decision to colleges within the next 45 days.

The Department of Education will also hold a summit next month, bringing together students, college administrators, local leaders and others to discuss strategies for universities to expand access to education, according to the White House. The group will release a report by September outlining practices it believes hurts opportunities for underserved communities as well as resources to create diverse applicant pools and make college more attainable.

“Every generation of Americans, we have benefited by opening the doors of opportunity just a little bit wider, to include those who have been left behind,” Biden said on Thursday. “I believe our colleges are stronger when they are racially diverse. Our nation is stronger.”

Biden on Thursday urged colleges to implement a “new standard,” in which universities consider the students’ backgrounds and any adversities they have overcome when “selecting among qualified applicants.”

"What I propose for consideration is a new standard for colleges taking into account the adversity a student has overcome when selecting among qualified applicants," the president said.

The White House said information that should be taken into account include a student’s financial means, where a student is from and any personal hardship or discrimination a student has faced. The president emphasized these factors should be considered only after a student has met the school’s standards in GPA and test scores.

"Let's be clear: Under this new standard, just as was true under the earlier standard, students first have to be qualified applicants," the president said. "They need the GPA and test scores to meet the school's standards."

"Once that test is met, then adversity should be considered, including a student's lack of financial means, because we know too few students of low-income families, whether in big cities or rural communities, are getting an opportunity to go to college," Biden said. "When a poor kid, maybe the first in the family to go to college, gets the same grades and test scores as a wealthy kid, whose whole family has gotten the most elite colleges in the country and whose  path has been a lot easier, while the kid who faced tougher challenges has demonstrated more grit or determination, and that should be a factor that colleges should take into account in admissions."

He also made a point to note at the top of his remarks that “many people wrongly believe” that affirmative action allows unqualified students to be admitted ahead of qualified students. He noted colleges first established a pool of candidates based on benchmarks such as grades before considering factors such as race.

“America is an idea, an idea unique in the world. An idea of hope and opportunity, of possibilities, of giving everyone a fair shot, of leaving no one behind. We've never fully lived up to it. But we've never walked away from it either. We will not walk away from it now,” Biden said on Thursday, echoing a sentiment about living up to the country’s ideals that he has expressed many times.