The Democratic candidates for president are taking aim at the Roberts court over its decision yesterday to limit the use of race as a factor in public school admissions, saying it threatens to roll back the legacy of the high court’s order to desegregate the schools more than a half century ago.

The 5–4 ruling involving school districts in Louisville, Ky., and Seattle served as an unexpected backdrop to a forum held last night at the historically black Howard University in Washington focusing on issues of importance to African American voters.

Senator Clinton said the decision “turned the clock back on the promise of Brown vs. Board of Education,” the 1954 desegregation ruling that Chief Justice Roberts cited in his opinion yesterday. In the context of the White House race, the ruling elevated Supreme Court nominees as an issue, with Senator Biden of Delaware saying the additions of Justices Roberts and Alito in recent years had “turned the court upside down” and Senator Obama of Illinois pledging to appoint judges to the bench who understood the importance of the Brown decision.

Last night’s forum, broadcast live on PBS, featured all eight declared candidates sharing one stage, but it was not quite a debate, as each contender was given a chance to answer each question in turn, offering little opportunity for exchange or rebuttal.

But there were moments of tension and levity. At one point, Mr. Biden, while discussing the importance of getting tested for HIV, said that not only had he been tested, he said he knew that “Barack got tested for AIDS.” That prompted a quizzical look from Mr. Obama across the stage, who jumped in to say, “I got tested with Michelle,” his wife, while they were in Kenya. Amid laughter from the crowd, a smiling Mr. Obama added, “I don’t want any confusion here.”

Moderated by Tavis Smiley, the forum focused on disparities between African American and white citizens in education, employment, and income. Each candidate promised to make alleviating those gaps a priority as president, and they jostled politely to connect with what has long been a key voting bloc in the Democratic Party. “I have walked the walk on these issues,” Senator Dodd of Connecticut said. “I am committed to these issues.”

Mrs. Clinton, whose husband was often referred to as the “first black president,” drew a loud ovation when she implicitly attributed inattention to the disproportionately rate of HIV/AIDS infection among black males to racism. Her voice rising, she said that if the same statistics were seen among white women, “there would be an outraged outcry in this country.”

With many citing yesterday’s Supreme Court decision, all of the candidates said race remained a dominant challenge in America today. Mrs. Clinton said that while progress has been made, “there is so much left to be done, and for anyone to assert that race is not a problem in America is to deny the reality in front of our eyes.”

In criticizing shortcomings in education, she also referenced the best-selling book she authored as first lady. “I really believe it takes a village to raise a child,” she said. “The American village has failed our children.”

Several candidates also criticized the implementation of President Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act, with Mr. Obama saying that “you can have a law called no child left behind, but you can’t leave the funding behind.”