Oct 5, 2023 - Politics & Policy

Affirmative action critics sue Naval Academy over race-conscious admissions

Rebecca Falconer

The U.S. Navy Blue Angels fly over graduation ceremonies at the U.S. Naval Academy May 26, 2017 in Annapolis, Maryland. — The U.S. Navy Blue Angels fly over graduation ceremonies at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in 2017. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

The group whose lawsuit contributed to the Supreme Court ending affirmative action filed another lawsuit over race-conscious admissions Thursday, this time against the U.S. Naval Academy.

Driving the news: Lawyers on behalf of Students for Fair Admissions, an anti-affirmative action group, argues there is "no justification for using race-based admissions." It alleges the academy's policy violates the Fifth Amendment, which it says "contains an equal-protection principle."

The big picture: The conservative nonprofit's latest lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Maryland, is similar to one the group filed against the U.S. Military Academy at West Point last month following the landmark June Supreme Court ruling that allowed an exception for military academies to continue considering race as part of admissions processes.

CDR Ashley Hockycko, a spokesperson for the USNA, said in an emailed statement Thursday evening that it is "the Naval Academy's policy to not comment on any pending litigation."

Read the lawsuit in full, obtained by CNN, via DocumentCloud:

Go deeper: How California serves as an example for a post-affirmative action world

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Affirmative action critics sue Naval Academy over race-conscious admissions

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