Judge Upholds Naval Academy's Race-conscious Admissions Policy

A federal judge upheld the Naval Academy’s race-conscious admissions policy Friday, rejecting a challenge from the group that succeeded at the Supreme Court in gutting affirmative action at civilian higher education institutions. 

That Supreme Court decision didn’t apply to the nation’s military academies, so the latest lawsuit from Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) sought to extend it to the academy located in Annapolis, Md. 

“In this case, SFFA has challenged any consideration of race by the Naval Academy in its admissions process,” U.S. Senior District Judge Richard Bennett wrote in his 175-page ruling. 

“After an intense one-year period of discovery and a nine-day bench trial, this Court has found that the Academy’s admissions program withstands the strict scrutiny mandated by the Harvard case,” Bennett continued, referring to the recent Supreme Court decision. 

SFFA sued the Naval Academy in October 2023, a few months after the Supreme Court effectively ended race-conscious admissions policies at civilian colleges and universities nationwide by ruling they don’t comply with the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection. 

Bennett’s ruling sides with the federal government’s argument that military academies, unlike civilian universities, have a “compelling national security interest in a diverse officer corps.” 

“Specifically, the Academy has tied its use of race to the realization of an officer corps that represents the country it protects and the people it leads. The Academy has proven that this national security interest is indeed measurable and that its admissions program is narrowly tailored to meet that interest,” wrote Bennett, an appointee of former President George W. Bush.

“Quite simply, this Court defers to the executive branch with respect to military personnel decisions,” he added.

Led by conservative legal strategist Edward Blum, SFFA has recruited plaintiffs to file challenges against schools’ admissions policies for years. 

“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. If we are unsuccessful there, then we will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court," Blum said in a statement.

“It is our hope that the U.S. military academies ultimately will be compelled to follow the Supreme Court’s prohibition of race in college admissions," he added.

The group has similarly sued the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. 

Updated at 10:32 a.m. EST