A new federal lawsuit accuses the US Military Academy at West Point of improperly considering applicants’ race and ethnicity when making admissions decisions.
The lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of New York on Tuesday by Students for Fair Admissions — the same group that successfully challenged affirmative action in higher education admissions in a landmark Supreme Court case that overturned the practice in June.
In the suit, Students for Fair Admissions alleges West Point has benchmarks for the number of Black, Hispanic and Asian cadets the institution should accept per class.
The lawsuit also accuses the military academy of discriminating on the basis of race and violating the principle of equal protection in the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution.
“Instead of admitting future cadets based on objective metrics and leadership potential, West Point focused on race,” the complaint reads.
“In fact, it publicly publishes ‘goals’ of its racial composition, and its admissions director boasts that race is the ultimate determinant for hundreds or even thousands of applicants.”
The group said West Point had “no justification for using race-based admissions”.
A new federal lawsuit accuses the US Military Academy at West Point of improperly considering the race and ethnicity of applicants.AP
“That admission is unconstitutional for all other public institutions of higher education,” the lawsuit asserted, citing the successful summer Supreme Court case of Students for Fair Admissions against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina.
The June 2022 decision does not cover West Point or other US military academies but can be used by jurists as a precedent.
“Because West Point discriminates on the basis of race, its admissions policy should be declared unlawful and made mandatory,” the suit claims, also asking for a preliminary injunction barring the military academy from considering or knowing the race of applicants when making admissions decisions.
In the suit, Students for Fair Admissions alleges West Point has benchmarks for the number of Black, Hispanic and Asian cadets the institution should accept per class. Matthew McDermott
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“Over the years, courts have taken into account the military’s unique role in the life of our nation and the unique considerations that come with it. However, there is no level of respect that allows this polarizing and unpopular racial classification and preference in admissions to West Point or any of our service academies,” Edward Blum, SFFA president, said in a statement.
“Since the recent US Supreme Court opinion in the SFFA case expressly prohibits all institutions of higher education from using race in admissions decisions, it must follow that US military institutions of higher education must end their racially based policies as well,” he added.
West Point states that minority enrollment in the class of 2027 is about 38%, including about 10% Black, 11% Hispanic, 14% Asian American and 1% Native American.
The lawsuit names the Department of Defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and other military and West Point officials as defendants.
The academy said in a statement that it “does not comment on ongoing investigations to protect the integrity of its decisions for all parties involved.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
