The U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division has accused Duke University School of Law of discriminating in its admissions process by giving Black applicants roughly 3.5 times higher chances of admission than Asian applicants with the same academic credentials. This finding comes from an investigation that began in April 2025 and was detailed in a Justice Department letter to Duke Law.

The allegations assert that Duke Law used race-based admissions preferences to meet its diversity goals, despite the 2023 Supreme Court ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (SFFA) that deemed considering race in college admissions unconstitutional.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon stated, "Duke Law School doesn’t get a free pass to discriminate against white and Asian students simply because it thinks it has good intentions." Dhillon further emphasized that "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."

Duke University responded by affirming its commitment to comply with the law, stating, "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 Justice Department's findings highlight a significant and consistent difference in admission rates and test scores between racial groups, which it says cannot be explained by coincidence. The department views the magnitude and persistence of these preferences, including after the SFFA ruling, as confirmation of intentional discrimination.

This issue was part of broader congressional discussions on the impact of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies on admissions and standards in higher education.

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