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UC Berkeley Law accused of illegal race-based admissions by DOJ
The U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Education have issued findings alleging that the UC Berkeley School of Law illegally discriminated against white and Asian applicants by favoring Black applicants. The joint investigation claims the law school violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and bypassed the 2023 Supreme Court ruling against race-conscious admissions by using essay prompts and racial identity questions as proxies for race.
Federal officials cited data showing significant disparities in admission odds. For the 2025 class, Black applicants reportedly had 5.8 times higher odds of admission than comparable white applicants. The DOJ also noted disparities in LSAT scores, alleging that the school’s practices allowed for admissions despite lower standardized test scores among certain demographic groups.
Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky has rejected the findings, stating the school “scrupulously complies” with both federal law and California’s Proposition 209, which prohibits racial preferences in public university admissions. He maintains that the school’s policy explicitly states that race is not considered in any way during the decision-making process. The DOJ is currently seeking a voluntary resolution agreement and has indicated it may pursue litigation if negotiations fail.
Entities
Department of Justice · Erwin Chemerinsky · Harmeet K. Dhillon · U.S. Department of Education · U.S. Department of Justice · UC Berkeley School of Law · University of California, Berkeley School of Law
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Black applicants had 6.5 times higher odds of admission than comparable white applicants in 2024. sjvsun.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The federal government is seeking a voluntary resolution agreement with the law school. newsfactsnetwork.com · opslens.com · www.dailysignal.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] Black applicants had 5.8 times higher odds of admission than comparable white applicants in 2025. newsfactsnetwork.com · www.latimes.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky denies that race is considered in admissions decisions. newsfactsnetwork.com · sjvsun.com · www.independent.co.uk
- [● 6 SOURCES] Berkeley Law used essay prompts and racial identity questions as proxies to weigh race in admissions. newsfactsnetwork.com · opslens.com · www.latimes.com · sjvsun.com · www.dailysignal.com · +1 more
- [● 10 SOURCES] UC Berkeley School of Law violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Supreme Court’s 2023 affirmative-action ruling. newsfactsnetwork.com · opslens.com · www.latimes.com · www.berkeleyside.org · sjvsun.com · +5 more