Students for Fair Admissions, the organization behind the lawsuit that led to the Supreme Court’s strike down of affirmative action, is now suing The United States Military Academy West Point, the Associated Press reported.
The federal lawsuit alleges that West Point is violating the U.S. Constitution’s equal-protection principle, improperly using race and ethnicity as factors in admissions by setting benchmarks for the number of Black, Hispanic, and Asian cadets in each class.
“Instead of admitting future cadets based on objective metrics and leadership potential, West Point focuses on race,” the lawsuit read. “In fact, it openly publishes its racial composition ‘goals,’ and its director of admissions brags that race is wholly determinative for hundreds if not thousands of applicants.”
In the Supreme Court’s June ruling against affirmative action, the court had structured a carve out for military academies.
"No military academy is a party to these cases, however, and none of the courts below addressed the propriety of race-based admissions systems in that context," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in his majority opinion. "The opinion also does not address the issue, in light of the potentially distinct interests that military academies may present."
West Point produces approximately 17% of newly commissioned Army officers each year, according to the suit. This summer, minority enrollment was around 38% for a class of more than 1,240 students.
“Over the years, courts have been mindful of the military’s unique role in our nation’s life and the distinctive considerations that come with it,” SFFA President Edward Blum said. “However, no level of deference justifies these polarizing and disliked racial classifications and preferences in admissions to West Point or any of our service academies.”
