FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Will Hubbard (703) 379-3822
SUPREME COURT DECISION ON AFFIRMATIVE ACTION CONTAINS PUZZLING LOGIC THAT WILL FAIL TO ENSURE RACIAL DIVERSITY IN THE ARMED FORCES OFFICER RANKS
Jun 29, 2023– In the Supreme Court’s decision today effectively striking down affirmative action, it noted that its decision did not reach America’s military service academies, such as West Point and the Naval Academy. Specifically, in footnote 4 of the decision, the Court wrote, “The United States as amicus curiae contends that race-based admissions programs further compelling interests at our Nation’s military academies. No military academy is a party to these cases, however, and none of the courts below addressed the propriety of race-based admissions systems in that context. This opinion also does not address the issue, in light of the potentially distinct interests that military academies may present.”
William Hubbard, Vice President for Veterans and Military Policy at Veterans Education Success, said of the Court’s decision: “We are disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision to effectively ban affirmative action in college admissions. We are puzzled by the Court’s logic in correctly exempting America’s military service academies in light of their compelling interest in a racially diverse officer class, but prohibiting all other institutions, which graduate the majority of officers, from ensuring racial diversity in their student bodies. The enlisted ranks of America’s Armed Forces are more racially diverse than the general population, and ensuring a diverse cohort of officers has consequential implications for our long-term national security.”
(POSSIBLE) Statement on the SCOTUS Affirmative Action Decision