The U.S. Department of Justice has accused the UCLA School of Law of illegally using race in admissions, alleging it operates a "two-tiered" system that favors Black and Hispanic applicants over white and Asian applicants with equivalent LSAT scores. This finding is part of a broader Trump administration crackdown on university diversity initiatives, which also includes an EEOC lawsuit against Harvard University over alleged hiring discrimination against white men. Both universities deny the allegations, defending their processes as merit-based and legally compliant.
Department of Justice allegations against UCLA Law
- ▪The U.S. Department of Justice letter stated that in 2025, Black applicants to the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law had seven times the odds, and Hispanic applicants had two times the odds, of being admitted compared to equivalent white applicants.
- ▪The U.S. Department of Justice stated that applicant data from 2019 to 2025 showed the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law did not alter its admissions practices after the 2023 Supreme Court ruling.
- ▪The U.S. Department of Justice announced on October 1, 2026, that the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law illegally discriminated against white and Asian applicants in its admissions process.
- ▪The U.S. Department of Justice alleged that admissions staff at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law instructed applicants during a "Diversity Admissions Open House" on how to reveal their race in essays.
- ▪The U.S. Department of Justice stated that the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law favored Black and Hispanic applicants with lower Law School Admission Test scores in its 2023, 2024, and 2025 incoming classes.
Trump administration scrutiny of other universities
- ▪The Trump administration has targeted diversity initiatives at multiple universities, launching similar admissions investigations against Duke University's law school, the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, and the University of California, San Diego medical school.
- ▪The Trump administration also accused the University of California, Los Angeles medical school of illegal race-based admissions discrimination.
Legal bans on affirmative action
- ▪California voters ended affirmative action in college admissions through a 1997 ballot measure, which the University of California system stated led to a precipitous drop in underrepresented minorities at its selective campuses.
- ▪The U.S. Supreme Court barred the consideration of race in college admissions in a landmark 2023 ruling, though it allowed colleges to assess how applicants' backgrounds speak to broader characteristics.
EEOC investigation of Harvard University
- ▪The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit late Tuesday, September 29, 2026, to force Harvard University to comply with a subpoena for faculty recruitment and hiring data since 2018.
- ▪The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charge cited data showing the share of white men among tenured faculty at Harvard University fell from 64% in 2013 to 56% in 2023.
- ▪Harvard University has argued that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation is a retaliatory, ideologically driven campaign by the Trump administration to target the university for asserting its constitutional rights.
- ▪The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation, initiated by Trump-appointed Chair Andrea Lucas in April 2025, alleges Harvard University systematically discriminated against white, Asian, male, and heterosexual employees and applicants.
Federal actions on campus antisemitism
- ▪The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reached a $221 million settlement with Columbia University over allegations that employees and student workers faced harassment due to their Jewish faith.
- ▪The Trump administration has sued the main University of California, Los Angeles campus over its response to allegations of antisemitic harassment.
Debatable claims
- ▪UCLA Law School's admissions process violates federal bans on race-based admissions
- ▪UCLA Law's guidance on revealing race in admissions essays violates the ban on affirmative action
- ▪The Trump administration's university diversity crackdown is a legitimate enforcement of civil rights law
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