Duke Law discriminated against white and Asian applicants

The U.S. Department of Justice has concluded that Duke University School of Law intentionally discriminated against white and Asian American applicants in favor of Black and Hispanic candidates during its admissions cycles for the classes entering in 2023, 2024, and 2025. The findings, announced on August 6, 2026, allege the law school violated both Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 ruling that banned the use of race in college admissions.

According to the Justice Department's investigation, Duke Law engaged in a deliberate effort to preserve race-based outcomes after the Supreme Court's decision. The department cited statistical evidence showing that in 2025, a Black applicant was 3.5 times more likely to be admitted than an Asian applicant with similar academic credentials. For the 2024 and 2025 cycles, the median Law School Admission Test scores of rejected white and Asian applicants were higher than the median scores of admitted Black applicants.

The Justice Department's letter to Duke alleges the school used proxies for race to advance its diversity goals. While the school's published policies stated admissions reviewers did not see...