In a unanimous 10–0 ruling, Brazil’s Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF) struck down a law passed in the state of Santa Catarina that had prohibited racial quotas at universities. The decision, reached via the court’s virtual plenary, reaffirms the constitutionality of affirmative action policies in Brazilian higher education — a system that has been credited with expanding access for Black, mixed-race, and indigenous students over the past two decades.
The ruling sends a strong signal that states cannot unilaterally roll back federally sanctioned quota programs, a policy area that remains politically contentious in parts of southern Brazil. [35][37]
