U.S. court upholds Harvard race-based admissions; Supreme Court appeal expected

FILE PHOTO: Students and pedestrians walk through the Yard at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., March 10, 2020. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

BOSTON (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Thursday upheld Harvard University's use of race in undergraduate admissions, rejecting a challenge by affirmative action opponents who said the Ivy League school's policy discriminates against Asian-Americans.

Opponents of the decision by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston promised to appeal to the Supreme Court, where legal experts believe the 6-3 conservative majority could use the case to end more than 40 years of allowing race as a factor in higher education admissions.