By Esther Wickham
The Center Square

The Department of Justice announced this week a settlement of litigation challenging the race-based admissions practices at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the U.S. Air Force Academy.

The settlement comes after two lawsuits from Students for Fair Admissions back in 2023 challenged the military academies’ race-based admission process as unconstitutional under the Fifth Amendment. The lawsuits have now been dropped because the DOJ negotiated a settlement.

“[It’s a] historic day for the principle of equal treatment under the law at our nation’s military academies,” that “ensures that America’s critically important military service academies will admit future officers based solely on merit, not skin color or ancestry,” said Edward Blum, executive director of Students for Fair Admissions, after the settlement.

The Trump administration says it will continue to crack down on higher education institutions that promote diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

“This Department is committed to eliminating DEI practices throughout the federal government,” said U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We are proud to partner with the Department of Defense to permanently end race-based admissions at West Point and the Air Force Academy — admission to these prestigious military institutions should be based exclusively on merit.”

As the academies have made the deal to change their admissions policy so that race and ethnicity are no longer considered at any point in the admissions process, the lawsuit has been dismissed.

“America is the land of equal opportunity, in spirit and in law,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York. “[This] agreement ensures that our future military leaders will carry on the greatness that is born of opportunity, effort and a level playing field.”