A federal judge ruled that the U.S. Naval Academy can continue using race as a factor in its admissions process, rejecting a challenge from the group Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA). The lawsuit, filed after a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year banned race-based admissions at civilian colleges and universities, argued that the academy’s use of race violates the U.S. Constitution. However, the Supreme Court ruled that its decision does not apply to military academies.

In his 175-page ruling, Judge Richard Bennett sided with the federal government, which argues that military academies have a unique national security interest in creating a diverse officer corps.

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Bennett emphasized that the academy’s race-conscious admissions process is designed to reflect the diversity of the country the military serves.

“After an intense one-year period of discovery and a nine-day bench trial, this Court has found that the Academy’s admissions program withstands the strict scrutiny mandated by the Harvard case,” Bennett said.

SFFA, which has led several high-profile legal challenges to affirmative action policies, has vowed to appeal the ruling and hopes to bring the issue before the Supreme Court.

Led by conservative legal strategist Edward Blum, SFFA has recruited plaintiffs to file challenges against schools’ admissions policies for years. 

“This organization is disappointed by the Court’s opinion. But just as we did in our successful lawsuits against Harvard and the University of North Carolina, SFFA will appeal this to the appellate court. If we are unsuccessful there, then we will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court,” Blum said in a statement.