Current:Home > MySupreme Court allows West Point to continue using race as a factor in admissions, for now -Wealth Evolution Experts
Supreme Court allows West Point to continue using race as a factor in admissions, for now
View
Date:2025-04-12 00:02:04
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is allowing West Point to continue taking race into account in admissions, while a lawsuit over its policies continues.
The justices on Friday rejected an emergency appeal seeking to force a change in the admissions process at West Point. The order, issued without any noted dissents, comes as the military academy is making decisions on whom to admit for its next entering class, the Class of 2028.
The military academy had been explicitly left out of the court’s decision in June that ended affirmative action almost everywhere in college admissions.
The court’s conservative majority said race-conscious admissions plans violate the U.S. Constitution, in cases from Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, the nation’s oldest private and public colleges, respectively. But the high court made clear that its decision did not cover West Point and the nation’s other service academies, raising the possibility that national security interests could affect the legal analysis.
In their brief unsigned order Friday, the justices cautioned against reading too much into it, noting “this order should not be construed as expressing any view on the merits of the constitutional question.”
Students for Fair Admissions, the group behind the Harvard and North Carolina cases, sued the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in September. It filed a similar suit against the U.S. Naval Academy in October.
Lower courts had declined to block the admissions policies at both schools while the lawsuits are ongoing. Only the West Point ruling has been appealed to the Supreme Court.
“Every day that passes between now and then is one where West Point, employing an illegal race-based admissions process, can end another applicant’s dream of joining the Long Gray Line,” lawyers for Students for Fair Admissions wrote in a court filing.
West Point graduates account make up about 20% of all Army officers and nearly half the Army’s current four-star generals, the Justice Department wrote in its brief asking the court to leave the school’s current policies in place.
In recent years, West Point, located on the west bank of the Hudson River about 40 miles (about 65 kilometers) north of New York City, has taken steps to diversify its ranks by increasing outreach to metropolitan areas including New York, Atlanta and Detroit.
“For more than forty years, our Nation’s military leaders have determined that a diverse Army officer corps is a national-security imperative and that achieving that diversity requires limited consideration of race in selecting those who join the Army as cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point,” wrote Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, the Biden administration’s top Supreme Court lawyer.
veryGood! (34)
Related
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Tyson Fury continues treading offbeat career path with fight against former UFC star Francis Ngannou
- UAW expands strike to General Motors' largest factory, where SUVs including the Chevy Tahoe are made
- AI-generated child sexual abuse images could flood the internet. A watchdog is calling for action
- FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
- See the 'ghost' caught on video at a historic New England hotel: 'Skeptic' owners uneasy
- Horoscopes Today, October 24, 2023
- Pennsylvania Senate passes bill opponents worry targets books about LGBTQ+ and marginalized people
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- After off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot is accused of crash attempt, an air safety expert weighs in on how airlines screen their pilots
Ranking
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- Why this NBA season is different: There's an in-season tournament and it starts very soon
- White House scraps plan for B-52s to entertain at state dinner against backdrop of Israel-Hamas war
- Meet Ed Currie, the man behind the world's hottest chili pepper
- Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
- Chris Pratt sparks debate over childhood trophies: 'How many do we gotta keep?'
- Jonathan Majors' trial for assault and harassment charges rescheduled again
- Bitcoin prices have doubled this year and potentially new ways to invest may drive prices higher
Recommendation
Eva Mendes Shares Message of Gratitude to Olympics for Keeping Her and Ryan Gosling's Kids Private
Iowa man found not guilty of first-degree murder in infant son’s death
Deal that ensured Black representation on Louisiana’s highest court upheld by federal appeals panel
Denver Broncos safety Kareem Jackson's four-game unnecessary roughness suspension reduced
NCAA hits former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh with suspension, show-cause for recruiting violations
Actor Cedric Beastie Jones Dead at 46
Denver Nuggets receive 2023 NBA championship rings: Complete details
Some companies using lots of water want to be more sustainable. Few are close to their targets