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A federal judge on Friday ruled that the United States Naval academy in Annapolis can continue using race as a factor in its admission process, siding with the academy, which argued that a more diverse Navy makes the military more respected.

The ruling comes after the Supreme Court largely ruled that race-based admission practices were unconstitutional. However, the Supreme Court ruling allowed potential caveats for military academies, according to the Associated Press.

Friday’s case was brought by Students for Fair Admissions, which led the case at the Supreme Court. The group challenged the military exemption in the Supreme Court ruling by claiming that prioritizing minority candidates was not fair to white applicants who were otherwise qualified. 

Attorneys for the naval academy rejected the allegations and argued that a more diverse Naval officer corps is better for national security and makes the U.S. military more widely respected.

Judge Richard Bennett ruled that the academy’s argument was “compelling,” and that racial demographics only played a small factor in admission decisions. Other factors include an applicant’s grades, extracurricular activities, life experience and socioeconomic status.

“Specifically, the Academy has tied its use of race to the realization of an officer corps that represents the country it protects and the people it leads,” he wrote. “The Academy has proven that this national security interest is indeed measurable and that its admissions program is narrowly tailored to meet that interest.”

The president of Students for Fair Admissions on Friday, which has also sued West Point over the admission practice, said the group would appeal the ruling.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.