House Democrat criticizes military academy exemption in Supreme Court affirmative action ruling.

Rep. Jason Crow Slams Supreme Court Decision on Affirmative Action

Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) strongly criticized a recent Supreme Court decision that exempted military academies from the ruling against affirmative action in college admissions. Crow described the ruling as “outright grotesque” for suggesting that diversity should only matter when it comes to attending military academies. The Supreme Court issued two separate rulings on Thursday, both in favor of banning the consideration of race in college admissions decisions.

Crow’s Reaction

“This decision is deeply upsetting but outright grotesque for exempting military academies,” Crow tweeted. “The court is saying diversity shouldn’t matter, EXCEPT when deciding who can fight and die for our country—reinforcing the notion that these communities can sacrifice for America but not be full participants in every other way. Justice Jackson is right: ‘Deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life,’” he added.

The Supreme Court ruled that Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did not comply with the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection. The Chapel Hill case resulted in a 6-3 verdict, while Harvard saw a 6-2 ruling after Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson recused herself due to a conflict of interest with Harvard.

Chief Justice John Roberts, who wrote the majority opinion, argued that the colleges lacked clear objectives that justified the use of race in admissions. However, Roberts noted in a footnote that the military academies were not involved in either decision.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in her dissenting opinion, criticized the majority’s exemption of military schools. She pointed out that religious schools were not part of the cases but were not exempted either.

“To the extent the Court suggests national security interests are ‘distinct,’ those interests cannot explain the Court’s narrow exemption, as national security interests are also implicated at civilian universities,” Sotomayor wrote. “The Court’s carveout only highlights the arbitrariness of its decision and further proves that the Fourteenth Amendment does not categorically prohibit the use of race in college admissions.”

Harvard stated that it would comply with the Supreme Court’s decision but hinted at exploring potential loopholes in the future. The court did acknowledge that discussing how race influenced an applicant’s life could still be considered in the admissions process.

Chapel Hill also expressed its intention to comply with the court’s decision. The university stated that it would review the ruling and develop a plan to implement the necessary changes.

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