{"id":2341316,"date":"2024-09-15T05:32:01","date_gmt":"2024-09-15T09:32:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trial-begins-for-fight-against-affirmative-action-in-military-academies-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-15T05:37:25","modified_gmt":"2024-09-15T09:37:25","slug":"trial-begins-for-fight-against-affirmative-action-in-military-academies-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trial-begins-for-fight-against-affirmative-action-in-military-academies-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Trial begins for fight against affirmative action in military academies &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrial-begins-for-fight-against-affirmative-action-in-military-academies-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2341316&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The upcoming trial regarding affirmative action in military academies begins in Baltimore,\u2062 Maryland. This \u2062legal dispute is spearheaded by Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), the organization behind \u200dthe landmark Supreme Court case \u2062that \u200bbanned race-conscious admissions at colleges, seeking to eliminate an exemption that allows military academies to continue \u200dsuch policies. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/four-abortion-legal-battles-one-year-after-supreme-court-overturned-roe-v-wade\/\" title=\"Four abortion legal battles one year post-Roe v. Wade reversal by Supreme Court.\">case specifically targets<\/a> the United States Naval Academy and the United States Military Academy at West Point.<\/p>\n<p>The trial follows a significant \u200dSupreme \u2063Court ruling\u2064 in 2023 that prohibited colleges from considering race \u2062in their admissions processes, aimed at promoting diversity. SFFA&#8217;s founder, Edward Blum, emphasized the organization&#8217;s intent\u200b to present their\u2063 case in court,\u2063 although he refrained from further comments \u200bon the litigation. <\/p>\n<p>This trial is notable as military academies were not addressed in the original Supreme Court case, which raised \u2062questions \u2064about their unique interests concerning \u2062affirmative action. As the trial proceeds, it is expected to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lowells-limits\/\" title=\"Lowell\u2019s Limits\">attract national attention<\/a>, particularly against a backdrop of declining minority enrollments in some universities \u200bfollowing the Supreme \u2064Court&#8217;s ruling. The Biden administration&#8217;s Department of Justice is expected\u200c to defend \u200cthe \u2063use of affirmative action, highlighting the importance of diversity for military readiness \u2063and the implications of racial disparities in leadership within the military.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Trial begins for fight against affirmative action in military academies<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1400852\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The group that successfully challenged <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/affirmative-action\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">affirmative action<\/a> in college admissions at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/supreme-court\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Supreme Court<\/a> last year is now targeting the United States Naval Academy in a new legal battle set to commence in a Baltimore, Maryland, trial Monday.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2579001\/group-behind-harvard-affirmative-action-case-targets-military-academy-admissions-next\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Students for Fair Admissions<\/a>, the organization that led the landmark Supreme Court case banning race-conscious admissions at universities in 2023, is seeking to overturn an exemption allowing military academies to continue using affirmative action policies in their admissions processes.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Graduating midshipmen stand at attention during the United States Naval Academy graduation and commissioning ceremonies in Annapolis, Maryland, Tuesday, May 29, 2012. (AP Photo\/Patrick Semansky)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The trial stems from lawsuits filed last year by SFFA against both the Naval Academy in Annapolis <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2441176\/west-point-sued-by-anti-affirmative-action-group-after-landmark-supreme-court-ruling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>and the<\/a> United States Military Academy West Point. The group, founded by Edward Blum, aims to extend its 2023 Supreme Court victory to military institutions. That <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/courts\/supreme-court-affirmative-action-race-conscious-college-admissions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>6-3 ruling<\/a> prohibited colleges from considering race in their admissions policies, which had been used to promote diversity on campuses for decades.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Founder of Students for Fair Admissions Edward Blum speaks during a news conference on the Supreme Court&rsquo;s decision on affirmative action in college admissions at the Press Club in Washington, D.C., Thursday, June 29, 2023.<br \/>(AP Photo\/Jose Luis Magana, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>&ldquo;Students for Fair Admissions looks forward to presenting our case to the district court,&rdquo; Blum said in a statement to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, declining to comment further due to SFFA&rsquo;s policy not to discuss litigation before a trial commences.<\/p>\n<p>The forthcoming trial is expected to draw national attention because military academies were excluded from the original Supreme Court ruling brought against policies used at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.<\/p>\n<p>  Chief Justice John Roberts noted in his decision that these institutions may have &ldquo;distinct interests&rdquo; in upholding affirmative action policies for admissions.<\/p>\n<p>In a footnote attached to the Harvard and UNC decision, the Supreme Court wrote that it could not procedurally weigh in on the use of affirmative action despite SFFA&rsquo;s contention that the same rules should apply.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;No military academy is a party to these cases, however, and none of the courts below addressed the propriety of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-exempts-military-academies-in-affirmative-action-ruling\/\" title=\"Supreme Court exempts military academies from affirmative action ruling.\">race-based admissions systems<\/a> in that context. This opinion also does not address the issue, in light of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/carveout-for-race-based-admissions-allowed-for-military-academies\/\" title=\"Race-based admissions carveout permitted for military academies.\">potentially distinct interests<\/a> that military academies may present,&rdquo; according to the footnote in the 2023 decision.<\/p>\n<p>The trial comes as fallout from the 2023 decision has caused both Harvard and UNC to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us\/harvards-black-enrollment-dips-after-us-supreme-court-bars-affirmative-action-2024-09-11\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>report declines<\/a> in minority enrollment, particularly among black and Hispanic students. However, some schools, such as Yale and Princeton universities, showed little difference in enrollment levels of these demographics.<\/p>\n<p>During the Harvard and UNC litigation at the high court, 35 former Pentagon officers submitted a brief in support of the colleges&rsquo; efforts to maintain affirmative action policies, arguing that taking race out of the admissions considerations at military academies would &ldquo;impede our military&rsquo;s ability to acquire essential entry level leadership attributes and training essential to cohesion.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Biden administration&rsquo;s Department of Justice, which is squaring off against SFFA at the Baltimore trial, argues that diversity within the officer corps is essential for military readiness and cohesion. According to the DOJ, racial disparities persist between enlisted service members and officers, which could undermine trust and mission effectiveness.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. District Judge Richard Bennett, who rejected a pretrial attempt to block the Naval Academy from using race in admissions, will preside over the trial. Bennett emphasized that military leadership requires different considerations than civilian educational institutions, writing, &ldquo;People at Harvard and UNC are not necessarily leading people into combat.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Blum&rsquo;s group has also sued West Point in New York to block the school from considering race in applications.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>After initial setbacks in a lower court, SFFA petitioned the Supreme Court earlier this year to take up the challenge against West Point.<\/p>\n<p>The Supreme Court on Feb. 2 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2834959\/supreme-court-rejects-bid-block-race-based-admissions-west-point\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>rejected the effort<\/a> to stop race considerations immediately at West Point, writing that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/no-justice-clarence-thomas-doesnt-have-to-recuse-because-his-wife-has-political-opinions\/\" title=\"No, Justice Clarence Thomas Doesn\u2019t Have To Recuse Because His Wife Has Political Opinions\">lower court proceedings<\/a> were still &ldquo;underdeveloped&rdquo; and that its rejection at this stage should not be read as &ldquo;expressing any view on the merits of the constitutional question.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1400852\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1400852\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The trial aimed at challenging affirmative action in military academies is set to begin on Monday in Baltimore, Maryland. The group Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), which previously won a Supreme Court case against race-conscious college admissions, is now focusing on the United States Naval Academy. They are seeking to eliminate an exemption that allows military academies to use affirmative action in their admissions processes. This legal battle follows lawsuits filed by SFFA last year against both the Naval Academy and the United States Military Academy at West Point.<\/p>\n<p>Founded by Edward Blum, SFFA aims to extend its 2023 Supreme Court victory\u2014which ruled against considering race in university admissions\u2014to military institutions as well. That ruling prohibited colleges from using race as a factor for promoting campus diversity.<\/p>\n<p>Blum expressed anticipation about presenting their case but refrained from further comments due to SFFA&#8217;s policy of not discussing ongoing litigation before trials begin. The upcoming trial is expected to attract significant attention since military academies were not included in the original Supreme Court ruling concerning Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.<\/p>\n<p>Chief Justice John Roberts acknowledged that these institutions might have &#8220;distinct interests&#8221; regarding affirmative action policies during his decision-making process. A footnote from the Supreme Court&#8217;s ruling indicated that it could not address affirmative action&#8217;s appropriateness for military academies because they were not parties involved in those cases.<\/p>\n<p>The trial occurs amid reports of declining minority enrollment at Harvard and UNC following the 2023 decision, particularly among Black and Hispanic students; however, some universities like Yale and Princeton have seen little change in these demographics&#8217; enrollment levels.<\/p>\n<p>During previous litigation involving Harvard and UNC, 35 former Pentagon officials supported maintaining affirmative action policies, arguing that removing race considerations could hinder essential leadership development within the military. The Biden administration\u2019s Department of Justice contends that diversity among officers is crucial for effective military operations and cohesion due to existing racial disparities between enlisted members and officers.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. District Judge Richard Bennett will oversee this trial after dismissing an attempt to prevent the Naval Academy from considering race in its admissions process earlier on, noting that leadership requirements differ significantly between civilian educational institutions and those preparing individuals for combat situations.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to targeting the Naval Academy, SFFA has also filed a lawsuit against West Point seeking similar outcomes regarding race considerations in applications there as well. After facing initial challenges at lower courts, SFFA requested intervention from the Supreme Court earlier this year concerning West Point but was denied based on procedural grounds without addressing any constitutional questions related directly<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2341317,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/AP21148558079218.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[40921,37612,40922,4853,32076],"class_list":["post-2341316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-affirmative-action","tag-legal-challenge","tag-military-academies","tag-trial","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/AP21148558079218.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2341316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2341316"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2341316\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2341317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2341316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2341316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2341316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}