Students for Fair Admissions, the group led by affirmative action opponent Edward Blum, has filed a new lawsuit against the U.S. Air Force Academy, aiming to end race-conscious admissions at military academies. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Colorado, alleges the academy unlawfully discriminates by considering race as an admissions factor, violating the Fifth Amendment’s equal protection clause. Blum argues that the Air Force Academy has no legal justification for such practices.
This legal action follows a recent defeat in a similar challenge against the U.S. Naval Academy. The Biden administration has defended race-conscious admissions, citing the need for diversity among military officers to build trust within the armed forces, which were desegregated in 1948.
Blum’s group gained a significant victory in June 2023 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to ban race-conscious admissions in civilian colleges and universities, impacting schools like Harvard and the University of North Carolina. However, the ruling did not address military academies, with Chief Justice John Roberts noting their potentially distinct interests.
In the class of 2028, almost 38% of Air Force Academy cadets were from ethnic and racial minority backgrounds, marking one of the most diverse classes in the academy’s history. This new lawsuit follows earlier cases against West Point and the Naval Academy, with Blum’s group appealing its loss in the latter.
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