Overview

• The Justice Department announced on August 12 that it reached settlements with Students for Fair Admissions to dismiss lawsuits against West Point and the Air Force Academy.
• Both academies will admit cadets based exclusively on merit, ending race- and sex-based criteria in their admissions processes.
• The agreements specify that any future adjustments to admissions policies must be communicated to SFFA to allow potential legal review.
• These resolutions follow a January executive order from President Trump and Pentagon directives that eliminated DEI-based goals after the 2023 Supreme Court ruling left military academy policies unresolved.
• Despite settling these cases, the higher-court question on the constitutionality of race-conscious admissions at U.S. service academies remains open unless new litigation emerges.