The U.S. Supreme Court decided on Monday that the current admissions process for the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ) can stay while Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) and Coalition for TJ battle it out in the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, providing some stability for the thousands of applicants for TJ’s Class of 2026.
Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch noted they disagreed with the decision to let the admissions process stand as the case goes through the legal system.
The case, Coalition for TJ v. Fairfax County School Board, is a result of FCPS changing TJ’s admissions policy in the fall of 2020, saying that it made the process “race-blind.” Opponents like Coalition for TJ disagreed, arguing that the process was discriminatory against Asian-Americans.
The Supreme Court’s order comes after disagreements between lower courts on what should happen to the current application cycle for the governor’s school.
In February, U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton ruled in favor of Coaltion for TJ, saying the the admissions process adopted by FCPS was discriminatory against Asain Americans. Hilton ordered that the process stop and denied the school system’s motion to let it stand for this cycle. The 4th Circuit then granted a suspension of this ruling, allowing FCPS to use the current admissions process as the federal appeals court hears the case.
“We continue to believe our new plan for TJ admissions is merit-based and race-blind,” says FCPS Division Counsel John Foster. “We are confident that after considering the facts and the law, the appeals court will decide that our plan meets all the legal requirements and guarantees every qualified student will have the chance of being admitted to the finest public science and technology high school in the country.”
Coalition for TJ says they are not dissuaded by the Supreme Court’s decision to let the process stay, noting that they are confident their “fight for justice will ultimately prevail.”
“What this Supreme Court decision means is that the Fairfax County School Board can continue with its illegal, unconstitutional and anti-Asain admissions process, while the school board tries to overturn Judge Hilton’s ruling,” Coalition for TJ said in a statement.
Erin Wilcox, an attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation, which represents the coalition, reiterated that while they are disappointed with the Supreme Court’s order, they will continue to fight to end TJ’s admissions policy.
The school system also noted that the 4th Circuit has approved an expedited schedule to resolve the legal issues in TJ’s admissions process. TJ applicants typically receive their decision for the governor’s school in June, so Class of 2026 applicants will continue on under the current admissions policy likely before a final legal decision is made.
Feature image courtesy Thomas Jefferson High School For Science and Technology
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