The U.S. Naval Academy will no longer consider race, ethnicity or sex as a factor for admission to the service institution, a response to an executive order by President Donald Trump, according to federal court documents made public Friday.

The change in policy at the Annapolis school was made in February by Vice Adm. Yvette Davids, the academy’s superintendent, according to a court filing by the U.S. Justice Department in the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The president’s order on Jan. 27 said that “every element of the Armed Forces should operate free from any preference based on race or sex.” It also directed the secretary of defense to conduct an internal review with respect to all “activities designed to promote a race- or sex-based preferences system,” including reviews at the service academies.

“Under revised internal guidance issued by the Superintendent on Feb. 14, 2025, neither race, ethnicity, nor sex can be considered as a factor for admission at any point during the admissions process, including qualification and acceptance,” according to the court filing made public Friday.

Cdr. Ashley Hockycko, an academy spokesperson, declined further comment Friday on the policy.

U.S. Rep. Sarah Elfreth, a Democrat representing Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District which includes Annapolis, called the decision “disastrous” and said it will hurt the military’s recruitment and retention for decades. Elfreth, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said diversity and inclusion are critical to national security and mission readiness.

“The divisive culture wars that President Trump and [Defense] Secretary [Pete] Hegseth are choosing to foment don’t make our country any more safe — they only serve to divide,” Elfreth said. “A Navy and Marine Corps that reflect the diversity of our country is our strongest Navy and Marine Corps.”

The decision comes after a federal judge ruled in December that the academy could continue considering race in its admissions process. In that case, the judge found that military cohesion and other national security factors mean the school should not be subjected to the same standards as civilian universities.

During a two-week bench trial in September, attorneys for the academy argued that prioritizing diversity in the military makes it stronger, more effective and more widely respected.

The case against the policy was brought by the group Students for Fair Admissions, which was appealing the judge’s decision.

The group “welcomes the announcement that the U.S. Naval Academy will end its unfair and illegal race-based admissions policies,” Edward Blum, president of the nonprofit group, in an email. “Racial discrimination is wrong and racial classifications have no place at our nation’s military academies.”

The Justice Department asked in the filing on Friday to suspend the current briefing schedule in the case while the parties consider the change in the academy’s policy.

“The parties require a reasonable amount of time to discuss the details of the Academy’s new policy and to consider the appropriate next steps for this litigation, including whether this litigation is now moot and, if so, whether the district court judgment should be vacated,” the Justice Department wrote.

Students for Fair Admissions also brought the lawsuit challenging affirmative action that resulted in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2023.

The high court’s conservative majority broadly prohibited the consideration of race and ethnicity in college admissions, ending a long-standing practice meant to boost opportunities for historically marginalized groups and sending shock waves through higher education. But it carved out a potential exemption for military academies, suggesting that national security interests could affect the legal analysis.

Students for Fair Admissions later sued the Naval Academy, challenging the exemption. But Judge Richard Bennett rejected their arguments, saying that the school had “established a compelling national security interest in a diverse officer corps.”

Attorneys for the group argued during the trial that prioritizing minority candidates is unfair to qualified white applicants and that cohesion should arise from other sources, such as training and command structure.

The academy argued in that case that its admissions process considers many factors, including grades, extracurricular activities, life experience and socioeconomic status, according to court testimony. Race often played no role in the process, but sometimes it came under consideration in a “limited fashion,” attorneys for the academy wrote in court papers.

The academy has been reviewing its curriculum to comply with Trump’s executive orders. It reviewed 870 courses and removed two, “Gender sexuality studies,” an English course, and “Gender Matters,” a leadership course, Davids said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Wednesday. Eighteen others were modified.

Reporter Lorraine Mirabella contributed to this article.