Judge Declines to Block Race-Based Admissions at U.S. Naval Academy

Naval Academy

A federal judge ruled Thursday against an injunction that would have temporarily halted the Naval Academy’s race-based admissions policies, according to Reuters.

Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) filed a lawsuit against West Point in September and launched a second against the Naval Academy in October after winning two cases involving Harvard University and the University of North Carolina on the same issue at the Supreme Court in June. U.S. District Judge Richard Bennett, however, ruled against SFFA’s request for an injunction, claiming that he felt the group had not proven the military’s use of race-based admissions for its academies was discriminatory, according to Reuters.

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West Point Sued over Race-Based Admissions Process

On Tuesday, an anti-affirmative action group filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Military Academy at West Point over its race-based admissions process in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning such practices.

As reported by Axios, the lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York by Students for Fair Admissions (SFA), the same advocacy group that ultimately ended affirmative action through two cases it had filed before the Supreme Court, Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina. In both cases, SFA successfully argued that affirmative action unfairly benefits black and Hispanic students, while disproportionately discriminating against White and Asian students.

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Half of Americans Oppose Race-Based Admissions at Elite Colleges Ahead of SCOTUS Ruling: Poll

Ahead of the Supreme Court’s ruling on the constitutionality of affirmative action in universities’ admissions process, 50% of Americans are opposed to the race-based method, according to a Thursday Pew Research poll.

Approximately 74% of Republicans disapprove of the use of affirmative action while 29% of Democrats also disapprove of the race-based admissions process, according to a Pew Research poll. In October, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for two lawsuits which will decide whether Harvard University and the University of North Carolina’s use of race-based admission policies is constitutional.

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Universities Seek Ways to Skirt the Supreme Court’s Likely Ban on Race-Based Admissions

Universities are searching for ways to maintain racial quotas ahead of a likely Supreme Court decision blocking affirmative action.

With the Supreme Court soon to issue a ruling in a pair of cases questioning the constitutionality of affirmative action, which multiple justices appeared ready to rule against during oral arguments, universities are developing plans to maintain the current racial composition of their student bodies without explicitly using racial preferences in the admissions process. Schools have floated ideas such as making testing optional, giving greater weight to students’ socio-economic backgrounds and recruiting based on geographic area.

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Colleges ‘Scrambling’ for New Ways to Discriminate with Race-Based Admissions Action Expected to End

With the United States Supreme Court set to rule against race-based admissions policies, colleges are looking for news ways to continue to factor race when admitting students, according to Axios.

In October, after hearing oral arguments against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina’s use of affirmative action in their admissions processes, the Supreme Court showed favor towards ruling against the use of race-conscious admissions policies. In the event that the Supreme Court rules against the admissions practices, universities may axe standardized tests, which schools argue discriminate against minority students, according to Axios.

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