DOJ Finds Duke Law School Discriminated in Admissions

Duke Law admissions discrimination Department of Justice Title VI voluntary resolution

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division concluded that Duke University School of Law intentionally discriminated on the basis of race in its 2023‑2025 admissions cycles. The department said Black and Hispanic applicants were given a substantial advantage over White and Asian applicants with comparable academic credentials, citing lower median LSAT scores for admitted Black and Hispanic students and higher scores for rejected White and Asian candidates. The DOJ alleges the school used “diversity” essay questions and internal tagging to identify and favor preferred racial groups, violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act after the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision that bans explicit racial preferences. The agency is seeking a voluntary resolution agreement with Duke Law to bring its admissions practices into compliance. The findings also note that the Justice Department has made similar allegations this year against medical schools at the University of California and Yale University.

Entities: Duke University School of Law · Harmeet Dhillon · Harmeet K. Dhillon · San Francisco State University · San Jose State University · Supreme Court · Title VI of the Civil Rights Act · U.S. Department of Justice · United States Department of Justice · University of California · Yale University

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 13 SOURCES] The DOJ said it sought a voluntary resolution agreement with Duke Law. (U.S. Department of Justice)
[● 5 SOURCES] President Donald Trump's administration has signed orders to dismantle diversity goals and has targeted universities with probes and funding suspensions. (Trump administration)
[● 5 SOURCES] The Education Department is probing San Jose State University and San Francisco State University over pro‑Palestinian protests. (U.S. Education Department)
[● 5 SOURCES] The Education Department received complaints that the universities failed to respond to antisemitism accusations on campuses. (U.S. Education Department)
[● 6 SOURCES] The Department of Justice alleged that Duke University School of Law's admissions practices were biased in favor of Black and Hispanic applicants. (US Justice Department)
[● 5 SOURCES] Reports noted hostility toward Jewish students, antisemitic graffiti, and pro‑Palestinian protests that disrupted classes. (Media reports)
[● 5 SOURCES] The DOJ alleged similar admissions practices this year at medical schools of the University of California and Yale. (US Justice Department)
[● 13 SOURCES] A Black or Hispanic applicant has a substantially higher likelihood of admission to Duke Law than a white or Asian applicant with the same academic credentials. (U.S. Department of Justice)
[● 2 SOURCES] President Donald Trump signed orders to dismantle diversity goals in higher education. (U.S. Executive actions)
[● 6 SOURCES] The DOJ alleges Duke Law violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (U.S. Department of Justice)
[● 3 SOURCES] The DOJ also alleged similar race‑based admissions practices at the University of California and Yale medical schools. (U.S. Department of Justice)
[● 6 SOURCES] In 2024 and 2025, the median LSAT scores of rejected White and Asian applicants were higher than those of admitted Black applicants at Duke Law. (U.S. Department of Justice)