By Brian Witte, Associated Press
Annapolis, MD. (AP) – The American Naval Academy will no longer consider race, ethnicity or sex as an admission factor in the service institution, an answer to an executive decree by President Donald Trump, according to federal legal documents made on Friday.
The change of policy was carried out in February by Vice-Admiral Yvette Davids, the superintendent of the Academy, in response to an executive decree issued by President Donald Trump in January, according to a court deposited by the United States Ministry of Justice of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.
The president’s order on January 27, said that “each element of the armed forces should freely operate on any preference according to the race or the sex”. He also ordered the Secretary for Defense to carry out an internal examination with regard to all “activities designed to promote a preference system based on breed or sex”, including magazines in service academies.
“According to the internal guidelines revised published by the Superintendent on February 14, 2025, neither the race, ethnicity, nor sex can be considered as an admission factor at any time of the admission process, including qualification and acceptance”, according to the judicial file made public on Friday.
The decision comes after a federal judge ruled in December that the Academy could continue to consider the race in its admission process. In this case, the judge concluded that military cohesion and other national security factors mean that school should not be subject to the same standards as civil universities.
During a two -week trial in September, the Academy’s lawyers argued that the prioritization of the diversity of the army makes it stronger, more efficient and more respected.
The case against the policy was filed by the students of the group for fair admissions, which appealed the decision of the judge.
Friday, the Ministry of Justice asked in the file to suspend the current briefing calendar in the case while the parties examine the change in the policy of the academy.
“The parties need a reasonable time to discuss the details of the new academy policy and to examine the next stages appropriate for this dispute, including if this dispute is now theoretical and, in the affirmative, if the judgment of the district court should be canceled,” the Ministry of Justice wrote.
Students for fair admissions also brought legal action for a positive action which led to a historic decision of the American Supreme Court in 2023.
The conservative majority of the High Court has largely prohibited the consideration of race and ethnicity in university admission, ending a long -standing practice intended to stimulate the opportunities of historically marginalized groups and to send shock waves in higher education. But he dug a potential exemption for military academies, which suggests that national security interests could affect legal analysis.
Students for fair admissions then continued the Naval Academy, based in Annapolis, contesting the exemption. But judge Richard Bennett rejected their arguments, saying that the school had “established a safe interest in national security in a body of a diversified officer”.
The group’s lawyers supported during the trial that priority for minority candidates is unfair for qualified white candidates and that cohesion should result from other sources such as training and command structure.
The Academy argued in this case that its admission process examines many factors, including grades, extracurricular activities, experience of life and socioeconomic status, according to testimonies from the court. The race has often played no role in the process, but sometimes it was considered a “limited way”, the lawyers of the academy wrote in court documents.
Originally published:
California Daily Newspapers
