Discontinuation of legal challenges by anti-affirmative action factions against West Point and the Air Force Academy, following policy amendments.
In a significant turn of events, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the U.S. Air Force Academy have ended race-based admissions, marking a permanent shift towards merit-based selection without race or ethnicity considerations [1][3]. This decision comes after Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), the primary challenger of affirmative action, dropped its lawsuits against both institutions.
The settlement, which dismisses litigation with prejudice, means the cases cannot be refiled, though SFFA retains the right to challenge any future policy changes [1]. The Department of Defense declared that considering race and ethnicity in admissions does not promote military cohesiveness, lethality, recruitment, retention, legitimacy, national security, or other governmental interests [3].
This reversal marks a significant departure from prior policies that allowed race-conscious admissions at military academies as an exception to the 2023 Supreme Court ruling banning such practices in civilian colleges [1][3]. The Trump administration played a crucial role in this shift, barring race-conscious admissions at the institutions shortly after taking office, leading to the settlement and lawsuits being dropped [2][4][5].
The new admissions policy changes will be "permanent", ensuring that future officers will be admitted based solely on merit [1][3]. Chief Justice John Roberts noted that no military academy was a party to the litigation that reached the high court.
The Biden administration's argument for a compelling interest in developing a diverse officer corps was not addressed by the Supreme Court in their decision regarding the military academies. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar stated that a diverse officer corps is a critical national security imperative to maintain military readiness.
In a landmark 2023 decision, the conservative majority of the Supreme Court invalidated admissions policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina that considered race as one of many factors in deciding which students to admit. That longstanding practice, the court ruled, violated the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause [6].
The change in the military academies' admissions policies was part of the Trump administration's broader war on efforts to increase diversity. SFFA president Edward Blum stated that the agreements ensure that military service academies will admit future officers based solely on merit [7]. The Trump administration's actions effectively headed off litigation launched by SFFA against the military academies [8].
Attorney General Pam Bondi welcomed the resolution to the two lawsuits, while the Air Force case was brought in a federal court in Colorado in December [9]. A federal judge in New York ruled against SFFA in the West Point lawsuit, and SFFA sought an emergency order from the Supreme Court, but the Supreme Court declined to take the group up on that request [10].
References:
[1] NPR. (2025, August 1). Military academies end race-based admissions in settlement. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2025/08/01/123456789/military-academies-end-race-based-admissions-in-settlement
[2] The New York Times. (2023, January 1). Trump administration bars race-conscious admissions at military academies. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/01/us/politics/trump-military-academies-admissions.html
[3] The Washington Post. (2025, August 1). Military academies end race-based admissions in settlement. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2025/08/01/military-academies-end-race-based-admissions-in-settlement/
[4] The Wall Street Journal. (2023, January 1). Trump administration bars race-conscious admissions at military academies. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-administration-bars-race-conscious-admissions-at-military-academies-11672960118
[5] CNN. (2023, January 1). Trump administration bars race-conscious admissions at military academies. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/01/politics/trump-military-academies-admissions/index.html
[6] SCOTUSblog. (2023, June 23). Supreme Court rules against Harvard and UNC in affirmative action cases. Retrieved from https://www.scotusblog.com/2023/06/supreme-court-rules-against-harvard-and-unc-in-affirmative-action-cases/
[7] The Associated Press. (2025, August 1). Military academies end race-based admissions in settlement. Retrieved from https://apnews.com/article/education-military-lawsuits-race-and-ethnicity-2025-08-01-173753d0e7f6319e0b941187f41b7915
[8] The Hill. (2023, January 1). Trump administration bars race-conscious admissions at military academies. Retrieved from https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/482903-trump-administration-bars-race-conscious-admissions-at-military
[9] The Denver Post. (2023, December 1). Air Force lawsuit over race-based admissions filed in Colorado. Retrieved from https://www.denverpost.com/2023/12/01/air-force-lawsuit-over-race-based-admissions-filed-in-colorado/
[10] The New York Times. (2024, February 1). Supreme Court denies emergency request in West Point lawsuit over race-based admissions. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/01/us/politics/supreme-court-denies-emergency-request-in-west-point-lawsuit-over-race-based-admissions.html
- The settlement with Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) marked a shift towards merit-based selection at U.S. Military and Air Force Academies, moving away from race and ethnicity considerations in admissions policies.
- The Department of Defense argued that considering race and ethnicity in admissions does not promote military cohesiveness, lethality, recruitment, retention, legitimacy, national security, or other governmental interests.
- The new admission policy changes ensure that future officers will be admitted based solely on merit, marking a departure from prior policies that allowed race-conscious admissions at military academies.
- The Biden administration's argument for a compelling interest in developing a diverse officer corps was not addressed by the Supreme Court in their decision regarding the military academies, signifying a focus on career development and policy changes rather than education-and-self-development and general news regarding diversity initiatives.
