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The effort on the part of Yale during my years there was to reach out and open its doors to minorities whom it felt were qualified.

And I have advocated that very kind of affirmative action.

That was Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court Justice, speaking back in 1991 when he was confirmed onto the Supreme Court,

talking about the importance of affirmative action,

how it gives people a step up who are from a minority background.

Well, last week, he and the other Conservative justices kicked away that ladder for other young, black and other

minority groups from being able to benefit from affirmative action.

This is all about the US Supreme Court, which has effectively banned universities from considering

race as part of any of their admission process.

It has sent a thunder clap through many of the colleges and universities in America,

because diversity programs will now be declared unconstitutional as a result.

So today on the newsagents, we want to consider this ruling,

other rulings by the Supreme Court, including a ban on allowing student debt to be paid down

by the government, and ask whether the Supreme Court is still acting within its remit or whether it's crossed a political line.

Welcome to Newsagents USA.

This is the Newsagents USA with Emily Maidless and John Sobel.

It's John. It's Emily.

And we're in Newsagents HQ.

And the end of June in Washington sees this enormous hive of activity around the Supreme Court,

just across the road from Congress, because everyone is waiting for the verdicts to be handed

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