The U.S. Naval Academy's race-conscious admissions policies can remain in place, a federal judge ruled on Friday, arguing that racial diversity in the military "has enhanced national security."
The 175-page ruling by Senior District Judge Richard Bennett rejected arguments from Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), the same group that swayed the Supreme Court in 2023 to dismantle affirmative action programs at civilian universities. A "racially diverse officer corps," Bennett wrote in his ruling, "is a national security interest" that has improved "the Navy and Marine Corps' unit cohesion and lethality, recruitment and retention, and domestic and international legitimacy."
The decision is a setback for SFFA’s efforts to end race-based admissions policies in the country’s military academies. The organization vowed to appeal the ruling and bring it to the Supreme Court if needed.
"This organization is disappointed by the Court’s opinion. But just as we did in our successful lawsuits against Harvard and the University of North Carolina, SFFA will appeal this to the appellate court," Edward Blum, a legal strategist for the group, said in a statement. "If we are unsuccessful there, then we will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court."
Blum said America’s military academies should be required to follow the law set forth by the High Court when it decided last year that civilian universities can no longer use race as part of their admissions criteria.
Bennet’s ruling maintains that, unlike civilian universities, the Naval Academy and other military schools have "established a compelling national security interest in a diverse officer corps." Bennet also wrote that the academy "does not employ quotas, admit candidates based solely on their race or ethnicity, or place minority candidates on separate admissions tracks" but rather considers race in limited circumstances.
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