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DOJ Accuses Duke Law of Racial Admission Discrimination

8/8/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon says Duke Law discriminated on race in 2023-2025 admissions, with essays and grant tags to favor Black, Hispanic applicants.
DOJ data show a Black 2025 applicant had 3.5 times the admission chance of an Asian applicant, with Black LSAT (164) lower than Asian and white (both 173).
DOJ will seek a settlement to bring Duke Law into Title VI compliance and sue if negotiations fail.

History

Historical Context

After the Supreme Court’s 1978 Bakke decision—written by Justice Lewis F. Powell and issued in a 5-4 split—racial quotas like UC Davis’s 16-seat set-aside were struck down while permitting race as one factor. That precedent shaped later rulings, including Grutter (2003) and the 2023 Harvard case, and now fuels Title VI scrutiny of Duke Law’s essay-prompt and grant-tag practices.

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Story summary

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon says Duke Law discriminated on race in 2023-2025 admissions, with essays and grant tags to favor Black, Hispanic applicants.
DOJ data show a Black 2025 applicant had 3.5 times the admission chance of an Asian applicant, with Black LSAT (164) lower than Asian and white (both 173).
DOJ will seek a settlement to bring Duke Law into Title VI compliance and sue if negotiations fail.

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