The U.S. Department of Justice says Duke University School of Law allegedly discriminated based on race in admissions for its incoming 2023, 2024 and 2025 classes.
The DOJ's Civil Rights Division said Thursday that Duke Law violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that barred race-based admissions preferences.
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According to the DOJ, the school used aspects of its application process to identify characteristics associated with race, including applicants' responses to essay questions about diversity and perspective. Some essay questions asked how applicants would further Duke Law's mission, which is to "help build and sustain a dynamic legal profession that embodies a commitment" to multiple stated values, including a "diversity of perspective and experience."
The department also said its analysis found Black and Hispanic applicants were admitted at substantially higher rates than white and Asian applicants with the same academic credentials.
WRAL News reached out to Duke University for a response to the department's findings.
“Today, the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division issued a letter of findings related to Duke Law’s admissions practices," a Duke spokesperson said. "We are reviewing the letter and its conclusions carefully. Duke is committed to complying with the law and will continue to do so in a manner that is consistent with our academic mission.”
The DOJ said it plans to negotiate with Duke to bring its admissions practices into compliance with federal law. If those efforts fail, the department said it could sue the university.
“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 Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the DOJ Civil Rights Division.