US Supreme Court Asked to Prevent West Point from Considering Race in Admissions, According to Reuters

By John Kruzel and Andrew Chung

A group challenging affirmative action has requested that the Supreme Court prevent the U.S. Military Academy at West Point from factoring race into its admissions process while ongoing legal disputes are considered by a lower court.

The request was submitted by Students for Fair Admissions, an organization that successfully challenged race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina in recent Supreme Court cases.

West Point, located in New York, is a distinguished military service academy that trains cadets for commissioning into the U.S. Army. The group pointed out that the application deadline for the class of 2028 is January 31 and urged the Supreme Court to address its request for an injunction before that date.

In legal documents, the U.S. Justice Department described West Point as an essential source for the officer corps, stating that its race-conscious admissions practices support the Army’s critical objective of fostering diversity among officers that reflects the makeup of its enlisted personnel.

Edward Blum, president of Students for Fair Admissions, criticized race-conscious admissions practices as fundamentally opposed to the values of military institutions. He expressed hope that the Supreme Court would prohibit West Point from using racial classifications and preferences in its admissions process for future classes.

This filing follows the denial of a preliminary injunction by a federal judge on January 3, which was supplemented by a rejection of an emergency injunction the following day. The group is currently awaiting a decision from the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals regarding their appeal.

The lawsuit was initiated last September on behalf of two members of Students for Fair Admissions—one high school student applying for the first time and another college student applying for the second time, both identified as white and fully qualified.

The litigation claims that West Point’s admissions practices unfairly disadvantage white candidates and violate the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution.

In its ruling against the admissions policies at Harvard and UNC last year, the Supreme Court did not directly address the issue of race in military academy admissions, a matter Chief Justice John Roberts noted might have "potentially distinct interests."

In defense of the race-conscious admissions policies at military academies, the Biden administration has stated that military leaders recognize that a lack of minority officers can lead to distrust within the armed forces.

Statistics indicate that while Black individuals comprise 20.2% of the Army’s active-duty enlisted personnel, only 11% hold officer positions. Similarly, although Hispanic individuals make up 18% of active personnel, just 9% are officers. In contrast, white individuals represent 51.7% of active-duty enlisted members and 68% of officers.