A federal trial challenging the U.S. Naval Academy's practice of considering race in admitting students will begin Monday morning.

An attorney for the U.S. Naval Academy said Monday that the elite military school should continue using race and ethnicity in admissions, because it was not where it needed to be in building a diverse student body.

The group that persuaded the U.S. Supreme Court to bar the consideration of race in college admissions is taking the U.S. Naval Academy to trial on Monday in an effort to end a carve-out that allows military academies to still employ affirmative action policies.

Whether the U.S. Naval Academy’s interests in a more diverse student body are distinct enough to allow it to continue considering race and ethnicity in admissions is at issue in a trial that begins Monday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.

The group "Students for Fair Admissions" is suing the Academy, arguing its admissions policies illegally discriminate when deciding who should be admitted into the school.

A legal battle is unfolding in Baltimore as the U.S. Naval Academy faces a trial to determine if race can be used in the admissions process.