Judge approves suit alleging new Virginia high school admission policy discriminates against Asians

A federal judge has approved a lawsuit by a group of Virginia parents who alleged a new "racial-diversity" admission policy by one of the state's top-ranked high schools is discriminatory.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, in northern Virginia, overhauled its admissions process in March, with processes to admit students based on "racial diversity." 

The school is ranked the best U.S. high school last month by News and World Report, according to The Daily Wire.

A parents' group of mostly Asian Americans, the Coalition for TJ, alleges Asian students are disadvantaged by the new admissions policy.

U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton on Friday approved the lawsuit, saying, "Everybody knows the policy is not race-neutral, and that it’s designed to affect the racial composition of the school."

The new policy caps the number of students from each middle school who are allowed admission into the high school. The parent group argues the policy discriminates against Asian students because the three middle schools that make up the highest admission rates have a high number of Asian students.

Attorney Stuart Raphael, who represents the school, attempted to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing the policy is "race-neutral."