Supreme Court Evacuated After Discovery of Suspicious Package

On Thursday, the Supreme Court had to be evacuated due to a “suspicious package” just hours after making a decision against discrimination in colleges.

Individual Detained

One person was detained in connection with the incident.

The Supreme Court invalidated affirmative action programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina earlier on Thursday. The Harvard case received a 6-2 decision from the court, with liberal justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissenting. The University of North Carolina case received a 6-3 decision.

BREAKING NEWS: Supreme Court evacuated after suspicious package found https://t.co/nUHZQrWuBS

— NBC 15 News (@mynbc15) June 29, 2023

The US Capitol Police issued a statement regarding the incident:

“With regard to a questionable package, we are assisting the Supreme Court police in ensuring the safety of the area with great caution. We cannot disclose further details about the case or the involvement of another agency, but we will keep the public informed.”

Capitol Police reopened the nearby roadways after the investigation, as several roads were closed during the evacuation.

The Supreme Court’s decisions on the Harvard admissions case and the University of North Carolina public college case were made across ideological lines.

Harvard, being the oldest private institution in the country, had Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson recuse herself from the case due to her service on the institution’s governing body.

We are assisting the Supreme Court Police with a suspicious package. Out of an abundance of caution, we are also helping keep the area clear. We cannot provide further information about another agency’s case, but we will keep the community updated about our involvement.

— The U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) June 29, 2023

Chief Justice John Roberts, who wrote the majority opinion, stated:

“Colleges have mistakenly concluded that a person’s identity is determined not by the difficulties they have overcome, the talents they have developed, or the lessons they have learned, but by the color of their skin. Our constitutional framework prohibits such a decision.”

Institutionalized Racism

Justice Clarence Thomas, a critic of affirmative action, referred to the admissions policies of these schools as race-based biases designed to ensure a specific ethnic mix among incoming classes.

According to Chief Justice Roberts, colleges and universities may still consider applicants’ admission essays that reflect their own experiences with race.

This article appeared in The Patriot Brief and has been published here with permission.