USNA Fights for Racial Discrimination
In June 2023 the Supreme Court effectively ended the use of affirmative action in college admissions. By a vote of 6-3 the justices ruled that the admissions programs used by the University of North Carolina and Harvard College violated the Constitution’s equal protection clause barring racial discrimination by government entities.
Oddly the decision allowed the service academies to continue to use race-based admissions programs. The Biden administration touted senior military leadership beliefs that creating a diverse officer corps required consideration of race for admission to the service academies. Chief Justice Roberts indicated in a footnote the Supreme Court did not weigh in on the issue “in light of the potentially distinct interests that military academies may present.”
US Naval Academy says considering race in admissions helps create a cohesive military
By LEA SKENE
BALTIMORE (AP) — Attorneys for the U.S. Naval Academy say the officer training school should be allowed to continue using race as an admissions factor because prioritizing diversity in the military makes it stronger, more effective and more widely respected, according to recent court filings and testimony during an ongoing civil trial in Maryland.
The group behind this case, Students for Fair Admissions, was also behind the lawsuit challenging affirmative action that resulted in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year, when the court’s conservative majority prohibited the consideration of race and ethnicity in college admissions.
That decision ended a longstanding practice meant to boost opportunities for historically marginalized groups and sent shockwaves through higher education. But it carved out a potential exemption for military academies, suggesting that national security interests could affect the legal analysis.
Students for Fair Admissions, which was founded by conservative activist Edward Blum, later sued the Annapolis-based Naval Academy challenging the exemption.
A bench trial began last week in Baltimore federal court before Judge Richard Bennett, a George W. Bush appointee who served for over 20 years in the U.S. Army Reserve and the Maryland National Guard.
Been waiting for this and Navy is going to lose. Why the service academies were exempted in the first place was baffling and is going to be corrected.
Category: DEI, Legal, The Stupid is Strong
