Affirmative Action Opponent Targets Admissions to West Point

The conservative advocate who successfully challenged affirmative action in college admissions on Tuesday sued the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, arguing that race-conscious admissions policies at the military’s higher-education institutions violate the Constitution.

The Supreme Court ruled in June that the use of race in university admissions violated the constitutional guarantee of equal protection, eliminating a tool that selective schools had used for years to diversify their student bodies. The court’s decision explicitly reserved judgment about admissions practices at military academies such as West Point, leaving the issue for another day.

Students for Fair Admissions, the group that won the Supreme Court decision, sued West Point in a New York federal court, arguing the same legal reasoning should apply.

“Instead of admitting future cadets based on objective metrics and leadership potential, West Point focuses on race,” the group argued in the lawsuit. “In fact, it openly publishes its racial composition ‘goals,’ and its director of admissions brags that race is wholly determinative for hundreds if not thousands of applicants.”

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The Biden administration and some retired military leaders have argued that the government’s service academies must continue to produce a diverse officer class to promote morale and discipline {snip}

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