Naval Academy can consider race in admissions, judge rules

The big picture: U.S. Senior District Judge Richard Bennett rejected the challenge, writing in a 179-page decision that the school had established that a diverse officer corps is a matter of national security.

• "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," Bennett wrote, adding that the "admissions program is narrowly tailored to meet that interest."
• Bennett also highlighted the Naval Academy's role as a key conduit into the armed services.
• The policy "has increased the racial diversity of the Navy and Marine Corps, which has enhanced national security by improving the Navy and Marine Corps' unit cohesion and lethality, recruitment and retention, and domestic and international legitimacy," he wrote.

State of play: SFFA filed the lawsuit against the Naval Academy in Oct, 2023, just months after the Supreme Court ruling overturned the use of race in making college admissions.

• Education experts have warned that the ruling would radically impact racial diversity of student bodies in U.S. higher education.
• It is now up to schools to find other ways to maintain diverse student bodies, such as considering applicants' zip codes or via the student's admissions essay.

Go deeper: Ending affirmative action is watershed moment for higher education