Justice Department Charges Duke Law School with Unlawful Admissions Practices

The Justice Department has alleged that Duke University’s law school has unlawfully considered race in its admissions process. This marks another action by the Trump administration against institutions of higher education.

In a findings letter, the department observed that despite claiming to be race-neutral, the school used other criteria as substitutes for race. These included personal essays and first-generation college status.

Duke Law School responded in an emailed statement, indicating that it is reviewing the letter and is committed to adhering to the law in alignment with its academic mission.

Duke Law School doesn’t get a free pass to discriminate against white and Asian students simply because it thinks it has good intentions, remarked Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division. Using ‘diversity’ essay questions to identify preferred races for admission is still illegal discrimination based on race.

Affirmative action in college admissions has been banned following a 2023 Supreme Court decision. The same ruling allowed colleges to continue considering applicants’ backgrounds to assess broader characteristics. President Trump frequently criticized colleges for using other means to preserve racial diversity, which conservatives argue constitutes illegal discrimination.

The department has also found similar practices in medical schools at UCLA and Yale University. It announced investigations into 15 additional medical schools in June.

Previously, the Trump administration focused on undergraduate admissions at selective colleges, urging them to present data proving compliance with the Supreme Court’s ruling.

The DOJ’s findings against Duke Law indicated that Black or Latino applicants had a higher probability of admission than white or Asian applicants with comparable academic credentials. Moreover, the median test scores for rejected white and Asian applicants in 2024 and 2025 were higher than those of admitted Black applicants.

The department aims to negotiate a settlement with Duke Law.