TJ’s Discriminatory Admissions Scheme Will Continue During Litigation

News Release | Pacific Legal Foundation

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology’s discriminatory admissions process will continue as litigation against the high school proceeds, after the Supreme Court declined an emergency application from the Coalition for TJ to vacate an appeals court stay in the case.

This decision comes as thousands of eighth-graders await an acceptance letter from the nation’s top-ranked school.

“We are disappointed by today’s decision. Government cannot choose who receives the opportunity to attend public schools based on race or ethnicity,” said Erin Wilcox, an attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation, which represents the Coalition for TJ. “We will continue to fight in the courts to end TJ’s discriminatory admissions policy for good.”

The coalition’s lawsuit challenges the school’s admissions process, which aims to reduce the number of Asian American students admitted to TJ in violation of their constitutional rights. U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton had agreed with the coalition and ordered a stop to the discriminatory policy. Shortly thereafter, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit granted a stay of the district court’s decision, allowing TJ’s discriminatory admissions process to continue.

Sixteen states filed a brief in support of the coalition’s emergency application.

The case is Coalition for TJ v. Fairfax County School Board.