WEST POINT ADMISSION: A LOOK INTO THE DEBATE ON RACE CONCERNS
Many U.S. citizens wanted to join the various branches of the armed forces to serve the country, but some of its departments are much stricter in picking suitable candidates. Today, West Point admission is on a hot seat due to its interest in considering race as part of its admissions, and this trial will begin on Monday at the District Court in Baltimore. Last year, this issue was resolved in the U.S. Supreme Court, where civilian schools cannot use race or ethnicity in determining a student's admission. However, military academies did not address this problem because of their "potential distinct interests."
This trial could reshape its admission policies, allowing anyone to enroll or keep its current rules. Students for Fair Admissions, an active group, sued the Annapolis-based academy. This is the same organization that pressed charges against the University of North Carolina and Harvard, which led to the Supreme Court siding with the group and rejecting affirmative action when accepting potential candidates.
SFFA vs. West Point Admission
The Students for Fair Admissions reiterated that the academy's use of race in admissions defiles the equal protection clause based on the Constitution. They seek to extend the ruling from last year to various military organizations. However, the court's decision in 2023 states that military academies are different from civilian schools. Federal officials disagree that diverse candidates are vital to strengthening national security and having effective military leadership.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor highlighted some vital issues regarding diversity in military leadership, including the need for a diverse officer corps. Edward Blum, the founder of the Virginia-based group, cited that his organization and its members are looking forward to presenting their case to the district court against the West Point admission. After their win in July 2023, they turned their attention to the admissions at West Point and the Naval Academy.
The Fight to Have a Fair Admission
Indeed, the group won over the two prominent universities regarding fair admission for all. Despite their efforts, it seems that this will be a difficult battle. U.S. officials even argued that in order for the nation to be always ready and prepared, it needs a pipeline of racially diverse officers and highly qualified individuals. Michael Meyerson, a University of Baltimore law professor specializing in American legal history and constitutional law, mentioned that the Supreme Court's address to the issue might be a stepping stone in considering banning the use of race as a basis for admission in military schools.
He even added that the court gave the military a lot of leniency regarding their needs and wants. However, it is also possible that they will still support the use of race, just like in West Point admission, as a criterion. District Judge Richard D. Bennett, who has served in the U.S. Army Reserve and Maryland National Guard for over twenty years, will hear this case. In 2003, former President George W. Bush appointed him to the bench.
The details of the lawsuit filed by SFFA stated that the Academy had focused heavily on race instead of requiring the applicants to submit standardized scores, which they stopped doing three years prior. The case wants to deem the Academy's process of accepting potential candidates as a violation of the equal protection clause and prohibit using race as a basis for admitting students.
In December, the Naval Academy won the case against the SFFA's request to reshape its admission process. That is why there is a huge possibility that West Point admission might be able to keep their process regardless of the lawsuit that was filed against them.
Despite all the heat, Joshua Gardner, the U.S. Justice Department lawyer mentioned that the organization had a strong interest in diversity, which is why military performance, retention efforts, and recruitment had benefited from it. He even added that race consideration, especially in West Point admission, is limited and not the basis; instead, it is a part of their holistic admissions process. No candidate is admitted based only on race.
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