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DOJ Sues Berkeley Law for Title VI Admissions Bias

9/11/2026

Summary

DOJ Sues Berkeley

The U.S. DOJ and Education Department allege Berkeley Law violated Title VI by discriminating against White and Asian applicants.
Black applicants in 2025 had 5.8 times higher admission odds than comparable White applicants.
Median LSAT scores 2021-2025 were 165 for Black, 172 for Asian/White, and 169 for Hispanic students.
Berkeley Law rejected the claims, stating its admissions policy does not consider race.

Summary

DOJ Expands Lawsuit

The Justice Department sued, expanding a federal review to all ten UC campuses.
The 2023 Supreme Court ruling by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. banned race-based admissions.
Berkeley pledged to provide ample evidence its admissions meet all relevant laws.
President Donald Trump’s administration frames the case as enforcing the Court’s individual-treatment mandate.
Justice Department civil-rights chief Harmeet K. Dhillon sent the letter to a Berkeley attorney.

History

Historical Context

The 1978 Supreme Court ruling in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, authored by Justice Lewis F. Powell, struck a 16-seat minority quota at UC Davis while permitting race as one factor in admissions, a 5-4 decision. Decades later, the 2023 Students for Fair Admissions decision by Justice John Roberts ended race-based admissions, prompting the DOJ and Education Department to sue Berkeley Law today.

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DOJ Sues Berkeley

The U.S. DOJ and Education Department allege Berkeley Law violated Title VI by discriminating against White and Asian applicants.
Black applicants in 2025 had 5.8 times higher admission odds than comparable White applicants.
Median LSAT scores 2021-2025 were 165 for Black, 172 for Asian/White, and 169 for Hispanic students.
Berkeley Law rejected the claims, stating its admissions policy does not consider race.

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