The U.S. Naval Academy’s race-conscious admissions policies can remain in place, a federal judge ruled on Friday, arguing that racial diversity in the military “has enhanced national security.”
The 175-page ruling by Senior District Judge Richard Bennett rejected arguments from Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), the same group that swayed the Supreme Court in 2023 to dismantle affirmative action programs at civilian universities. A “racially diverse officer corps,” Bennett wrote in his ruling, “is a national security interest” that has improved “the Navy and Marine Corps’ unit cohesion and lethality, recruitment and retention, and domestic and international legitimacy.”
The decision is a setback for SFFA’s efforts to end race-based admissions policies in the country’s military academies. The organization vowed to appeal the ruling and bring it to the Supreme Court if needed.
“This organization is disappointed by the…
