Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares is heading the charge to the Supreme Court to fight against race based high school admissions policies, similar to the one found at Thomas Jefferson High School.
The emergency application asking the U.S. Supreme Court to halt what he describes as a “discriminatory” and “illegal” admissions process designed to dramatically reduce the number of Asian American students who attend Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ) in Fairfax, Va. 70% of the student body is Asian American. Previously, up until last year, the school used a merit-based admissions process to select students, but then switched to a race-based process meant as part of an “illegal effort” to align the magnet school’s student body with the racial composition of the surrounding region. When the policy was challenged, a three-judge appeals panel ruled that Fairfax County Public Schools can continue to use its new admissions policy at Thomas Jefferson High School while it appeals a ruling that found the new policy discriminates against Asian American students. In response, Miyares and 15 other Attorney Generals have formed a coalition to end the school’s racists policies.
“Right now, there are innocent Virginians unfairly treated and punished not for anything they’ve done, but because of who they are. Thomas Jefferson High School’s new admissions process is state sanctioned bigotry — it’s wrong, and it’s the exact opposite of equality. As Attorney General, I’ll never stop fighting for the equal treatment and protection of all Virginians,” Miyares said in a news release.
Not all at Thomas Jefferson were on board with the school’s change in policy, and the school appears to be taking action against those who speak out on the issue. As previously reported, Harry Jackson, a former PTA president of of the school was facing libel and slander charges in the wake of claiming that a proponent of the new admissions policies exhibited “grooming behavior” on social media. A Fairfax County judge eventually dismissed all four charges of libel and slander with prejudice. (RELATED: Parent Opposed to ‘Race-Based’ Admissions Scores Massive Legal Victory After Being Criminally Charged)
Attorney General Miyares will be tackling this issue head on, and is bringing back-up some of the best in the country. In addition to Miyares, the amicus brief is signed by attorneys general in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.