On Friday, the US Supreme Court rejected a request to prevent the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, known for its Army training, from considering race as a factor in its admissions process. This decision comes as a legal battle over the practice unfolds in lower courts.
The request to block the consideration of race in admissions came from Students for Fair Admissions, an organization founded by Edward Blum, a prominent opponent of affirmative action. The group had previously succeeded in challenging race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina in cases that reached the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court’s denial follows lower court rulings that had declined to halt West Point’s practice of considering race in admissions. The court’s brief order stated that “the record before this court is underdeveloped, and this order should not be construed as expressing any view on the merits of the constitutional question.”
The underlying lawsuit, brought by Students for Fair Admissions, contends that West Point’s admissions practices discriminate against white applicants, alleging a violation of the constitutional principle of equal protection. While the Supreme Court’s recent decision does not delve into the constitutional merits of the case, it signals that the consideration of race in West Point’s admissions process will persist while the legal dispute unfolds in lower courts.
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