In a 1961 executive order, Democratic President John F. Kennedy became the first U.S. president to use the phrase "affirmative action." Three times in this order, Kennedy instructed the government to make hiring, firing, and contracting decisions "without regard" to race. In contrast, he made no mention of diversity, equity, or inclusion. Reiterating this in a 1963 speech, Kennedy said that "race has no place in American life or law." Turning these facts on their head, the ACLU claims that Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson was the first person to use the term "affirmative action" in 1965. Unlike Kennedy, Johnson insisted that "freedom" and "equal opportunity" are "not enough" to remedy past discrimination and that government must dictate "equal" results for people of different races. A year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that race-based university admissions violate the U.S. Constitution, which requires "equal protection of the laws" for every person.