5 entries

Trump DOJ Medical School Race-Discrimination Campaign

The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division launched a coordinated campaign of Title VI investigations into medical schools' admissions practices, opening probes at an expanding list of institutions. The campaign used civil-rights enforcement authority to pressure schools to abandon race-conscious admissions, treating diversity policies themselves as unlawful discrimination.

Beginning in March 2026, the Trump Justice Department Civil Rights Division under Harmeet Dhillon launched a coordinated campaign of Title VI race-discrimination investigations into medical school admissions. The initial action opened probes at Stanford, Ohio State, and UC San Diego; a June 2026 expansion added 15 more schools. The campaign used civil-rights enforcement machinery to pressure medical schools to abandon race-conscious admissions practices, treating diversity policies as themselves unlawful discrimination.

2026 Events (5)

June(2)

DOJ Civil Rights Division found UC Davis Medical School discriminated based on race in admissions

The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division announced on June 11, 2026 that the University of California, Davis School of Medicine discriminates based on race in its admissions process, in violation of the Supreme Court's 2023 SFFA v. Harvard ruling. DOJ said a six-month investigation found Davis Med used a "Davis Scale" ranking applicants on socioeconomic factors as a proxy for race after SFFA. UC Davis disputed the finding, calling its admissions process "rigorous, individualized, and merit-based."

DOJ Civil Rights Division opens 15 new race-discrimination probes into medical school admissions

On June 4, 2026, the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division announced it had opened 15 new investigations into U.S. medical schools over alleged race discrimination in admissions, expanding a campaign that had already produced adverse findings against the medical schools of Yale University and UCLA. The Division said it would examine whether the schools — each a recipient of millions of dollars in federal funding — comply with Title VI as interpreted by the Supreme Court's 2023 decision restricting race-conscious admissions. The schools under investigation were not publicly named.

May(2)

DOJ Civil Rights Division found Yale School of Medicine discriminated based on race in admissions

The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division announced on May 14, 2026 that it had determined Yale University's School of Medicine discriminated based on race in its admissions process, in violation of Title VI and the Supreme Court's 2023 SFFA v. Harvard ruling. DOJ said Yale's leadership intentionally selected applicants by race and studied racial proxies to circumvent that ruling, citing data showing Black and Hispanic applicants were admitted with lower academic qualifications than White and Asian applicants. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said Yale "continued its race-based admissions program despite the Supreme Court and the public's clear mandate."

DOJ Civil Rights Division found UCLA medical school discriminated based on race in admissions

The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division announced on May 6, 2026 that the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA intentionally discriminated based on race in its admissions process, in violation of the Supreme Court's 2023 SFFA v. Harvard ruling. DOJ said its investigation found admitted Black and Hispanic applicants had consistently lower academic qualifications than their white and Asian counterparts, and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said the school focused on "racial demographics at the expense of merit and excellence." The finding was part of a broader Civil Rights Division campaign targeting medical-school admissions that also produced actions against Yale and UC Davis.

DOJ opens Title VI probes into Stanford, Ohio State, and UC San Diego medical schools

On March 25, 2026, the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division opened Title VI compliance-review investigations into the medical schools of Stanford University, the Ohio State University, and the University of California, San Diego, over alleged race discrimination in admissions. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon announced the probes, and the Division sent letters demanding seven years of applicant data — MCAT scores, GPAs, ZIP codes, family ties to alumni or donors, internal DEI communications, and correspondence with pharmaceutical companies — by an April 24, 2026 deadline, citing the schools' federal funding.