Justice Department Finds Duke Law School Illegally Discriminated Based on Race in Admissions

Aug 6, 2026

On August 6, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Duke University School of Law intentionally discriminated based on race in its 2023–2025 admissions. Investigators found that Duke used essay questions and tags as proxies for race, resulting in Black and Hispanic applicants being admitted at higher rates than white and Asian applicants with similar credentials. Duke is reviewing the findings, while the DOJ seeks a settlement or plans to file a lawsuit.

DOJ Duke Law discrimination findings

▪The U.S. Department of Justice stated that Duke University School of Law's admissions practices violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard.
▪On August 6, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division announced findings that Duke University School of Law intentionally discriminated based on race in admissions for its 2023, 2024, and 2025 incoming classes.

Post-SFFA race-proxy mechanisms

▪Duke University School of Law admissions reviewers were instructed to use "Diversity/Services" tags on short-answer essay responses and tag characteristics correlated with race, such as being a Pell grant recipient.
▪The U.S. Department of Justice found that Duke University School of Law used personal essays, "diversity" essay questions, and first-generation college student status as proxies to consider race in admissions.

Admissions outcome disparities by race

▪The U.S. Department of Justice found that Black and Hispanic applicants to Duke University School of Law had a substantially higher likelihood of admission than white or Asian applicants with the same academic credentials.
▪In 2024 and 2025, the median Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) scores of rejected white and Asian applicants to Duke University School of Law exceeded the median LSAT scores of admitted Black applicants.

Trump administration higher education enforcement

▪The findings against Duke University School of Law are part of a broader Trump administration effort targeting higher education institutions, including recent findings of illegal race consideration at Yale University and UCLA medical schools.
▪In June 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it was launching investigations into 15 other medical schools regarding their admissions practices.

Duke response to investigation

▪The announcement of the admissions findings follows a separate federal investigation launched in 2025 into Duke Law School's law journal selection practices.
▪Duke University responded on August 6, 2026, stating that it is carefully reviewing the U.S. Department of Justice's findings letter and is committed to complying with the law in a manner consistent with its academic mission.

Settlement negotiations or lawsuit

▪The U.S. Department of Justice announced it is seeking to reach a settlement with Duke University School of Law to bring its admissions practices into compliance.
▪The U.S. Department of Justice stated it intends to file a lawsuit against Duke University if the two parties cannot reach a settlement agreement.