Judge upholds U.S. Naval Academy’s race-conscious admissions program

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Judge upholds U.S. Naval Academy’s race-conscious admissions program

Case on military academies’ affirmative action

Affirmative action in military academies faces challenge in federal court

01:26

Washington — A federal district court on Friday upheld the U.S. Naval Academy’s race-conscious admissions policies, rejecting a challenge brought by the group Students for Fair Admissions following the Supreme Court’s landmark decision ending affirmative action in higher education.

U.S. Senior District Judge Richard Bennett wrote in a 179-page decision that the Naval Academy “established a compelling national security interest in a diverse officer corps” for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, and tied its use of race in admissions to “the realization of an officer corps that represents the country it protects and the people it leads.”

Bennett said he deferred to the executive branch with regard to military personnel decisions.

The challenge to the Naval Academy’s admissions policies was brought by Students for Fair Admissions in October 2023, months after the Supreme Court ruled that race-conscious admissions policies used by colleges and universities were unconstitutional. The group was behind the cases that led the high court to reject affirmative action in higher education in June 2023.

Students for Fair Admissions’ lawsuit came in response to a footnote in the majority opinion authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, which said the decision did not apply to the nation’s service academies.

In addition to suing the Naval Academy, Students for Fair Admissions also sued West Point on behalf of two of its members who are applying to the academy.

This is a developing story.

Melissa Quinn

Melissa Quinn is a politics reporter for CBSNews.com. She has written for outlets including the Washington Examiner, Daily Signal and Alexandria Times. Melissa covers U.S. politics, with a focus on the Supreme Court and federal courts.

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