Female attorney, 41, sues US Navy for not letting her into SEAL program

A 41-year-old Long Island woman has sued the U.S. Navy for rejecting her Navy SEAL application because of her age.

According to Amanda S. Reynolds, a lawyer, after she applied for the role, military recruiters delayed processing her application for so long that she wound up aging out of the age-limited position.

“US Navy officials failed to advance Amanda S. Reynolds’ application, then told her in the fall that she would no longer qualify for Naval Officer Training Command in Newport, RI, because she’d be over the age limit of 42 by the time she graduated,” the New York Post explains.

“The opportunity … was kind of taken away from me,” Reynolds told the Post. “I would like that to be reinstated. I would just like the outcome to be determined by the merits instead of by some sort of technicality.”

“I could have gone to officer candidate school in February, [but] they delayed my application without reason or cause, and then they told me I was too old,” she added.

BREAKING: This ‘Wannabe GI Jane’ is suing the entire US Navy after her dream of becoming the first female Navy SEAL came to an end over her age.

Amanda S. Reynolds, the wannabe-G.I. Jane dream of becoming the first female Navy S.E.A.L. ended because military recruiters… pic.twitter.com/hwv008bWnz

— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) April 19, 2025

Why did she, a lawyer, want to join the Navy SEALS in the first place? She got bored and burned out “working in litigation for 12 years,” and the SEALs accurately seemed like “such a more noble cause.”

Plus, she’s a long-distance runner and scuba-certified swimmer who believes the job “kind of jibed with my physical pursuits.”

“As an American, I was born with what I can only describe as an inexpressible, indefatigable nature to dream,” she wrote in her application for the job. “And so, dream I do — never forgetting it is only under the auspices of this great nation’s military who protects my inalienable right to do so that I may.”

“I hope to serve as this country’s first female Navy SEAL Officer, so that there may be a second, and a third, and an infinitesimal many more female candidates who might impress upon you these shared values in the very same way,” she added.

Speaking with the Post, she added that serving in the military runs in her family. Her grandfather served in the Norwegian Ski Patrol, her uncle was an American World War II pilot, and her older brother is an FBI agent.

Sadly, her dream has been on hold since day one. She claims she was “sworn into” the Navy in 2018 but subsequently “never assigned anywhere or deployed.” The Navy, meanwhile, claims to have “no record of service” for her.

“She then moved to Utah, where she worked as a lawyer and revisited her enlistment in 2020,” according to the Post. “But she was arrested in July 2020 for allegedly driving under the influence, a misdemeanor which was dismissed in 2023.”

“She returned to Long Island and again chased her dreams of joining the SEALs, but found recruiters were quick to urge her to use her legal skills in the military’s Judge Advocate General Corps. She claims recruiters told her that ‘age waivers were always obtainable,’” the reporting continues.

“I was really gearing up to participate in the pipeline process, really taking all the right steps to proceed with the application,” she said.

However, she continued, her application “was not submitted” and “unjustifiably delayed.”

“It was never really about me being a female SEAL, it was just about me being a SEAL who happened to be a woman,” she concluded.

Responding to her story, critics have generally sided against her.

Look:

There is no way in this old lady can pass the physical requirements to become a Navy Seal! Please let her try.

— Samantha Glass (@silychic) April 20, 2025

Peak specimen 20yo men out here failing to be SEALs and some lady who’s old enough to be their mom is upset she can’t hack it? What’s she gonna do? Make PB&Js for the squad on missions?

— Paladin Patriot ✝️ (@PaladinPatriot_) April 19, 2025

Nobody makes it through BUDS at 42. Nobody. Male or female. Maybe early thirties if someone is in incredible shape. I’m sure someone will come up with a name to prove me wrong, but check the database of BUDS graduates. I seriously doubt it.

— Robert Ratcliffe (@bobrat725) April 19, 2025

Like 98% of young men in their 20s don’t make it through BUDs, a 41 year old woman has a 0.00000% chance. Has she seen what they have to do in first phase? They have to hold logs and inflatable rafts full of water over their heads for long periods of time, women can’t do it.

— Jack Maxwell (@JackMax87144283) April 19, 2025

EQUITY: Only a white female Democrat lawyer would feel entitled to join the Navy to become a SEAL at the age of 42. The fact is BUD/S requires you sign your contract no later than 28. Amanda S. Reynolds demanded a waiver and when she didn’t get it she filed suit for age… pic.twitter.com/sapsHWQn8y

— @amuse (@amuse) April 19, 2025

Senior Staff Writer
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V. Saxena is a staff writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.

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