The U.S. Navy on Monday will begin to defend its use of race as an admissions factor at the Naval Academy after a Supreme Court case overturning affirmative action left a carve out for service academies. 

The same group that brought the case to end affirmative action to the Supreme Court’s attention, Students for Fair Admissions, brought a case against the Naval Academy after the Supreme Court’s ruling explicitly did not address the consideration of race as a factor in admissions at military academies. 

The case kicked off Monday and is being heard in Baltimore by District Judge Richard D. Bennett, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, without the assistance of a jury. 

Chief Justice John Roberts said factoring race into admissions had "potentially distinct" interests for service academies.