DOJ Finds Duke Law School Discriminated Against White and Asian Applicants

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. In a six-page letter to the school’s outside counsel, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon stated that the law school’s reviewers used “diversity/ services” tags, Pell-grant status and essay responses as proxies for race, thereby violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Supreme Court’s 2023 *Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard* decision.

WPDE - Florence NewsJustice Department alleges Duke Law School used race in admissions decisions Justice Department finds Duke Law discriminated based on race in admissions Bangor Daily NewsNew York Times

The 2023 Supreme Court ruling eliminated race-based affirmative-action programs but allowed colleges to consider an applicant’s background in a “race-neutral” way. Since that decision, the Trump administration’s Justice Department has pursued a “stringent interpretation” of the ruling, issuing findings against medical schools at Yale, UCLA and UC Davis and announcing investigations of 15 additional medical schools. Duke Law’s investigation, opened in April 2025, follows a July 2025 Office for Civil Rights probe into the Duke Law Journal’s member-selection process and a separate freeze of NIH funding for Duke Health.

Justice Department finds Duke Law discriminated based on race in admissions Bangor Daily NewsJustice Department alleges Duke Law School used race in admissions decisions WPDE - Florence News

• Median LSAT scores for admitted students (2024): Black 164, Hispanic 170.

Justice Department alleges Duke Law School used race in admissions decisions

• Median LSAT scores for admitted students (2024-2025): Asian 173, White 172.

Justice Department alleges Duke Law School used race in admissions decisions

• The Justice Department’s analysis shows that rejected white and Asian applicants in 2024-2025 had higher median LSAT scores than admitted Black applicants.

Justice Department alleges Duke Law School used race in admissions decisions

• The department asserts that, holding academic credentials constant, Black or Hispanic applicants were “substantially more likely” to be offered admission than white or Asian applicants.

Bangor Daily News

• The Durham-based campus issued a similar emailed statement confirming the review and commitment to legal compliance.

Justice Department finds Duke Law discriminated based on race in admissions

• “As a result of these practices, highly qualified white, Asian and other students were denied admission on the basis of their race,” — General Harmeet Dhillon, from assistant attorney

Justice Department finds Duke Law discriminated based on race in admissions

• April 2025: DOJ opens investigation into Duke Law’s admissions practices.

Justice Department finds Duke Law discriminated based on race in admissions

• July 2025: U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights launches separate probe of the Duke Law Journal.

Justice Department finds Duke Law discriminated based on race in admissions

• June 2026: DOJ announces investigations of 15 additional medical schools; earlier in the month it released findings against Yale, UCLA and UC Davis.

Justice Department finds Duke Law discriminated based on race in admissions

• August 2026 (Thursday): DOJ releases its six-page findings letter to Duke Law and issues a public news release.

New York Times

The Justice Department has indicated it will pursue settlement negotiations with Duke Law to bring the school’s admissions process into compliance with Title VI and the Supreme Court decision. If a voluntary agreement is not reached, the department said it may file suit. Duke’s ongoing reviews of the DOJ letter and related investigations will shape the university’s response and any forthcoming legal actions.

Justice Department finds Duke Law discriminated based on race in admissions