Overview

• The Department of Justice reached settlement agreements on August 12 that dismiss legal challenges brought by Students for Fair Admissions against West Point and the U.S. Air Force Academy.
• Under the terms, both academies will conduct blind-review admissions, with officials barred from seeing applicants’ race or ethnicity before decisions.
• The settlement language reflects the Department of Defense’s decision to abandon its previous assertion that a diverse officer corps constitutes a compelling national-security interest.
• Earlier this year, the DOJ resolved similar litigation concerning the U.S. Naval Academy, rendering that case moot after the academy ended race-conscious admissions.
• The agreements characterize the policy changes as permanent and require the academies to notify Students for Fair Admissions of any future alterations to their admissions rules.