The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to temporarily block the admissions policy of a prestigious high school in northern Virginia, after the policy was accused of being discriminatory against Asian Americans.
The parent’s group, Coalition for TJ, asked the high court to temporarily suspend the admissions policy of the school while the case is being considered in lower courts.
The nine-member high court on Monday denied Coalition for TJ’s request and gave no explanation for doing so. Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Clarence Thomas said in the brief court order they would have blocked the school’s admissions policy for now.
The school, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, is often ranked as one of the best public high schools in the United States.
![Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax, Va. (Google Maps)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F05%2F23%2FThomas-Jefferson-High-School-for-Science-and-Technology-3-600x375.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
The school board recently adopted a new admissions process that ended a standardized testing requirement, and also guaranteed seats for the top students from each public middle school in the surrounding area.
Asian Americans comprised the majority—more than 70 percent—of the school’s student body. After the new policy was adopted, Asian American representation decreased to 54 percent, while Black and Hispanic representation increased from 1 to 7 percent and 3 to 11 percent, respectively.
“It is clear that Asian-American students are disproportionately harmed by the Board’s decision to overhaul TJ admissions. Currently and in the future, Asian-American applicants are disproportionately deprived of a level playing field in competing for both allocated and unallocated seats,” Hilton wrote.
But the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, put Hilton’s ruling on hold and said the policy could be used while litigation over the policy’s legality continues.
“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.”