Almost immediately, selective colleges around the country responded to the Supreme Court's affirmative action ruling with expected disdain. But if they don't comply, they could be in for a world of hurt.

The president of Harvard and 17 other senior university officials signed a letter admitting that "for almost a decade, Harvard has vigorously defended an admissions system" that the Supreme Court explained took race into consideration at nearly every stage of the admissions process. Harvard explained it is committed to preserving what it calls its "essential values," such as racial diversity. In a not-so-veiled insinuation that it likes a comment in the court's opinion that race can be identified in admissions essays, Harvard states with a smile: "We will certainly comply with the Court's decision."