Duke says it is reviewing the findings letter
The Justice Department accused Duke University’s law school, in Durham, North Carolina, of unlawfully considering race in admissions. The action is the latest Trump administration challenge involving higher-education admissions practices.
In a findings letter to the school, the department said Duke administrators presented themselves as race-neutral in admissions while using other factors as substitutes for race. The department identified personal essays and whether an applicant was a first-generation college student as examples.
The department’s Civil Rights Division said the admissions practices unlawfully discriminated against white and Asian students. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon made the accusation in a Justice Department news release.
“Duke Law School doesn’t get a free pass to discriminate against white and Asian students simply because it thinks it has good intentions,” Dhillon said. “Using ‘diversity’ essay questions to identify preferred races for admission is still illegal discrimination based on race.”
Duke Law School said in an emailed statement that it was reviewing the letter. The school said it was committed to following the law “in a manner that is consistent with our academic mission.”
The findings letter represents the department’s stated conclusions about Duke Law School’s admissions practices. Duke’s statement said the school was reviewing the department’s account and did not provide a further response in the material available for this report.