Sotomayor denies mom's bid to get son into elite NYC school amid racial discrimination fight

Justice Sotomayor Denies Emergency Bid in Stuyvesant Admissions Dispute

Brooklyn, N.Y. – U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor declined an emergency request from a Brooklyn mother to enroll her son at Stuyvesant High School, the city’s most selective public high school, after the city’s revised admissions plan was challenged in court.

The case centers on Yi Fang Chen, whose son—identified only as M.P. in court filings—was rejected by Stuyvesant after scoring 558 on the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT). The test score was just three points below the cutoff required for admission in the 2026‑2027 academic year.

Chen’s lawsuit, filed in April with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, claims that New York City’s updated admissions policy unfairly discriminates against Asian students while boosting enrollment of Black and Hispanic students. The suit argues that the policy violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

Under the revised scheme, 20 % of Stuyvesant’s seats are reserved for students deemed “economically disadvantaged.” That designation is tied to a city program called Discovery, launched in 2018 by former mayor Bill de Blasio. Discovery limits participation to students who attend middle schools where at least 60 % of the student body is classified as economically disadvantaged. Many Asian students in the city, even those from low‑income families, attend schools that do not meet the threshold, making them ineligible for the program.

Internal communications from the New York City Department of Education and the Mayor’s Office, cited in the lawsuit, allegedly reveal that the intent behind the program was to increase the number of Black and Hispanic students admitted to Stuyvesant at the expense of Asian students. Chen’s attorneys claim that, had the cutoff not been raised, his son would have secured a seat.

“I believe the city’s admissions changes were designed to benefit certain racial groups over others,” said Dean McGee, an attorney for Chen with the Pacific Legal Foundation. “Equal protection means treating kids as individuals, not as demographic statistics.”

When asked for a statement, Justice Sotomayor gave no explanation for the denial on Monday. Her ruling comes amid a broader national debate over race‑based admissions in public schools and universities.

The lawsuit remains pending, and the outcome could have far‑reaching implications for how New York City’s most selective schools set admission standards and how courts interpret state policies that use socioeconomic factors to influence enrollment.