Dec 17, 2024 Story by: Editor
Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the U.S. Air Force Academy, challenging its use of race-conscious admissions. The group claims this policy denies applicants the chance to compete “on equal grounds.”
SFFA was behind the legal challenge that led to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to prohibit race-conscious admissions at civilian colleges. This new federal lawsuit comes shortly after the group lost a similar case against the U.S. Naval Academy.
The Air Force Academy lawsuit highlights SFFA’s intensified efforts to challenge race-based admissions at the nation’s military academies, which remain exempt from the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling. Last week, the group appealed the decision in the Naval Academy case.
Chief Justice John Roberts, in his majority opinion striking down race-conscious admissions, noted in a footnote that military academies were excluded from the ruling due to their “potentially distinct interests.” He cited arguments from the Biden administration, which emphasized that “the effectiveness of our military depends on a diverse officer corps that is ready to lead an increasingly diverse fighting force.” The administration argued that race-conscious admissions are essential to achieving this goal.
SFFA has rejected these claims. With its latest lawsuit, the group has now challenged the admissions policies of three of the five U.S. military academies.
In the Air Force Academy case, SFFA argued that race-conscious admissions fail to enhance the institution’s ability to recruit top talent or promote military unit cohesion.
“The Academy’s ongoing racial discrimination can have dream-shattering consequences for the individual applicants who are unfairly denied admission, but it barely moves the needle in terms of the overall demographics of the officer corps,” SFFA stated in its lawsuit.
The Air Force Academy, known for its competitive admissions process, has struggled to improve its diversity. Federal data from fall 2022 show that only 6% of the academy’s students were Black or African American, and 12% were Hispanic or Latino. These percentages lag behind the demographics of the U.S. Air Force, where 16% of members are Black or African American, and 18.2% are Hispanic or Latino.
SFFA has faced obstacles in its recent legal battles. Last week, a federal judge upheld the Naval Academy’s use of race-conscious admissions, deeming the practice essential for advancing national security interests.
The group also sued the U.S. Military Academy at West Point last year. While that case is ongoing, a judge declined to issue an injunction to halt race-conscious admissions at the institution. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court refused to intervene in the West Point case. Source: Higher ED Dive
