US Naval Academy ends affirmative action in admissions: 'Implementing all directives'

The decision followed a December ruling in federal court allowing the Naval Academy to continue considering race in its admissions process. 

Judges in December found "military cohesion and other national security factors" meant the school should not be subjected to the same standards as civilian universities, according to the report.

The appeal was brought by the group Students for Fair Admissions.

The DOJ on Friday requested a suspension of the case as it looked over the change in USNA's policy.

"The parties require a reasonable amount of time to discuss the details of the Academy's new policy and to consider the appropriate next steps for this litigation, including whether this litigation is now moot and, if so, whether the district court judgment should be vacated," the DOJ wrote in the filing.

Edward Blum, president of Students for Fair Admissions, called the affirmative action policies "unfair and illegal" in a statement to the AP.

"Racial discrimination is wrong and racial classifications have no place at our nation's military academies," Blum wrote.

Maryland Rep. Sarah Elfreth, a Democrat serving on USNA's Board of Visitors, told the AP the decision was "disastrous" and "will have negative implications on our military's recruitment and retention for decades to come."

"A Navy and Marine Corps that reflect the diversity of our country is our strongest Navy and Marine Corps," Elfreth said. "Diversity and inclusion allow our academies to not just reflect how our country looks but are critical to mission readiness and strong national security."

Though its DEI and DEIA offices were closed since at least the summer of 2024, Davids noted "concerns have been raised that some of these programs may have been modified in a way that obscures their DEIA objectives."

She said if any staff members were aware of changes to obscure the connection between a contract and DEIA or similar ideologies, they should report it to the Office of Personnel Management.

"The U.S. Naval Academy did not have a DEI or DEIA office prior to the President's executive order that mandated closure of all agency DEIA offices and the end of all DEIA-related contracts," Cmdr. Tim Hawkins, a Navy spokesperson, told Fox News. 

"The U.S. Naval Academy sent the Jan. 23 email internally to staff simply to inform its personnel that the executive order was issued and USNA would fully comply. 

"The Navy is executing and implementing all directives issued by the president with professionalism, efficiency and in full alignment with national security objectives."

Human resources officials also told staff USNA emails should not include gender-identifying pronouns on signature lines.

Fox News Digital's Greg Norman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.