DOJ accuses Duke law school of favoring Black applicants over white and Asian ones

The Justice Department has accused Duke University’s law school of unlawfully considering race in admissions, as part of the Trump administration's ongoing crackdown on higher education institutions. In a findings letter, the department alleged that while Duke administrators claimed to be race-neutral in admissions, they used factors such as personal essays and first-generation college status as proxies for race.

The Durham, North Carolina-based institution said it was reviewing the letter and committed to following the law. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division stated that using 'diversity' essay questions to identify preferred races for admission is illegal discrimination based on race. The Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that affirmative action in college admissions is illegal, allowing colleges to consider applicants' backgrounds but not using race as a direct factor.

The DOJ has previously found instances of illegal race-based admissions at Yale University and the University of California, Los Angeles, and is now investigating 15 other medical schools for similar practices. The department is seeking a settlement with Duke Law.

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