(ConservativeInsider.org) – A federal lawsuit was just filed against the US Military Academy at West Point, alleging that the school has been unfairly making admissions decisions based on the race of applicants. The suit is being filed on behalf of two white men who plan to apply to West Point, claiming that since the Academy is using race to determine whether someone is accepted or not, the plaintiffs are not able to compete on “equal footing.”
Students for Fair Admissions, the group whose lawsuit convinced the Supreme Court to overturn affirmative action in higher education admissions earlier this year, filed the suit against West Point. The lawsuit claims that the military academy is violating the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution, specifically the equal protection principle.
The lawsuit argues that if the military academy considers race a “positive” aspect for students of some races—namely black, Latino, and Asian—it de facto turns race for some applicants—namely whites—into a “negative” factor.
West Point publishes “racial composition ‘goals’” that the military academy hopes to achieve each year, according to the lawsuit, which Students for Fair Admissions claims has “no justification.”
The Supreme Court decision earlier this year ruled that colleges and universities can no longer use race as a deciding factor in admissions, but made an exception for military service academies because of their “potentially distinct interests.” This case could eliminate affirmative action for military academies as well.
During this summer’s Affirmative Action case, the U.S. Solicitor General claimed that having diversity among officer ranks is a “national security imperative.” However, SFFA argues that’s an outdated idea from the Vietnam War. During the Vietnam War, only 3% of officers were black, which led to racial tensions between white officers and drafted black soldiers. However, recent figures indicate that nearly 30% of Army officers are a racial minority.
West Point released a statement after the lawsuit was filed, saying they do not comment on ongoing litigation so they can “protect the integrity” of those involved.
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