Justice Department Addresses Racial Discrimination in Lawsuit Challenging Race-Based Admissions at United States Naval Academy

WASHINGTON - The Justice Department today announced a joint filing with the plaintiff challenging former race-based admissions practices at the U.S. Naval Academy to dismiss the lawsuit based on the federal government’s commitments to end those practices permanently. The lawsuit challenged race-based admissions at the Academy as unconstitutional under the Fifth Amendment.

“This Department is committed to ending illegal discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunity throughout the federal government,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We are proud to partner with the Department of Defense to permanently end race-based admissions at the United States Naval Academy and ensure that admission to this prestigious institution is based exclusively on merit.”

The joint filing in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit also asks that court to vacate the district court decision on appeal, which upheld race-based admissions, because the appeal has become moot. As explained in the filing, the “Naval Academy changed its admissions policy so that race and ethnicity are no longer considered in any way at any point” and those changes “are intended to be permanent.” And the policy “changes reflect the judgment of the United States—based on the military’s experience and expertise, and after reviewing the record in this case—that the consideration of race and ethnicity in admissions at the Naval Academy does not promote military cohesiveness, lethality, recruitment, retention, or legitimacy; national security; or any other governmental interest.”

Combatting unlawful discrimination is a top priority of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. Additional information about the Civil Division is available at https://www.justice.gov/civil.

Read the full filing HERE.