DOJ Accuses UCLA School of Law of Racial Discrimination

• The U.S. Department of Justice has accused UCLA School of Law of discriminating against white and Asian applicants between 2019 and 2025.
• This alleged discrimination, which included Black applicants having seven times better admission chances than equivalent white applicants in 2025, violates the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling on race in admissions.
• Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division sent a letter requesting UCLA Law voluntarily comply with federal law.
• This action is part of a broader Trump administration effort against diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, also impacting UC Berkeley and Duke law schools.
• The ABA's accreditation council recently voted to repeal a diversity standard, following a Department of Education report and executive order scrutinizing its DEI requirements.

The U.S. Department of Justice has formally accused the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law of engaging in deliberate racial discrimination against white and Asian applicants over a six-year period, directly contravening the Supreme Court's 2023 prohibition on race-based admissions.

The U.S. Department of Justice has formally accused the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law of engaging in deliberate racial discrimination against white and Asian applicants over a six-year period, directly contravening the Supreme Court's 2023 prohibition on race-based admissions. This serious allegation, which covers the years 2019 through 2025, places UCLA Law under intense scrutiny from federal authorities.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, leading the Civil Rights Division at the DOJ, communicated these findings in a detailed six-page letter dispatched to a UCLA attorney. The correspondence explicitly stated that the law school had intentionally discriminated against these specific racial groups. In light of these findings, the Department of Justice has formally requested that UCLA Law promptly and voluntarily adjust its admissions policies to ensure full compliance with federal law.

The DOJ's letter provided specific statistical evidence to support its claims of discrimination. For instance, in the 2025 admissions cycle, Black applicants were found to have a seven times greater likelihood of admission compared to "otherwise equivalent" white applicants. Similarly, Hispanic applicants experienced a two times higher chance of being admitted under the same comparative conditions. These disparities form a critical part of the federal government's case, highlighting the alleged preferential treatment based on race.

UCLA Law, in an October 1 press release, responded to the escalating scrutiny by affirming its commitment to upholding all applicable legal standards in its admissions decisions. The institution specifically referenced its adherence to the California Constitution, including Proposition 209, as well as federal statutes and the broader U.S. Constitution, signaling its intent to operate within established legal frameworks. The core of the DOJ's complaint centers on the violation of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark 2023 ruling, which explicitly banned the consideration of race in university admissions processes.

The federal government's action against UCLA Law is not an isolated incident but rather part of a broader, concerted effort by the Trump administration to challenge diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within higher education. This move represents the latest salvo in what has been characterized as a "war" against such policies at universities and law schools nationwide.

Since early August, other prominent institutions have also faced similar accusations and investigations. Both the University of California at Berkeley School of Law and Duke University School of Law have come under fire from the Trump administration for alleged violations related to their admissions policies, indicating a widespread federal focus on ensuring compliance with the Supreme Court's 2023 directive across the legal education sector. This intensified scrutiny underscores a significant shift in federal enforcement priorities regarding race-conscious policies.

Further illustrating the systemic pressure on DEI policies, the council for the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar recently took a significant step. Last month, the council voted to repeal its contentious standard concerning diversity and inclusion, a decision widely interpreted as a strategic move to safeguard its position as the sole national accreditor for law schools.

This vote followed an 86-page report issued by the U.S. Department of Education, also last month, which recommended stripping the council of its accrediting powers. Preceding this report, an executive order in April 2025 had already directed the Secretary of the Education Department to assess whether to suspend or terminate the council's authority as the government's official law school accreditor. The executive order specifically cited the council's "unlawful 'diversity, equity and inclusion' requirements" as the basis for this potential action, highlighting the deep federal skepticism towards such mandates.

Educational institutions and their legal counsel must urgently review admissions policies for compliance with the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling, as the DOJ is actively pursuing enforcement actions for discrimination against specific racial groups, indicating heightened scrutiny of DEI practices.

Source: Original reporting via ABA Journal.