The US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday dropped an affirmative action lawsuit it had filed against Yale University, accusing the school of discriminating against Asian American and White students in its undergraduate admissions process.
In 2016 the DOJ received a complaint from a coalition of Asian-American organizations asserting that Yale discriminates against Asians in its undergraduate admissions decisions. Upon receiving this complaint, the DOJ instituted an investigation into Yale’s undergraduate admission process and determined that race is the determinative factor in hundreds of admissions decisions each year. The investigation also determined that “Asian Americans and Whites have only one-eighth to one fourth of the likelihood of admission as African American applicants with comparable academic credentials.” Because Yale refused to refrain from using race or national origin in its 2020-2021 undergraduate admissions cycle, the DOJ filed the present suit.
Prior to the filing of this suit, Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband for the Civil Rights Division stated, “illegal race discrimination by colleges and universities must end. All persons who apply for admission to colleges and universities should expect and know that they will be judged by their character, talents and achievements and no the color of their skin. To do otherwise is to permit our institutions to foster stereotypes, bitterness, and division.”
In its suit against Yale University, the DOJ alleged that the university violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by “intentionally subjecting applicant to discrimination on the grounds of race and national origin.” Additionally, the DOJ noted that by admitting racially-favored applicants, mostly Black and Hispanic students, Yale “signals that racially-favored applicants cannot compete against Asian and White Applicants” and “reinforces damaging race-based stereotypes.”
Yale University President Peter Salovey indicated:
I am pleased that the department has decided to drop its lawsuit and has withdrawn its notice of violation of Title VI and of noncompliance. … As I think of our students, each of who had a unique journey to Yale, it is clear to me that they are a diverse group of talented individuals who have so much to contribute to our university, to our country and to the world Their stories—and their hopes and dreams—underscore the importance of our unwavering commitment to maintaining an academic environment built on a wide range of strengths and backgrounds.
The notice of dismissal does not provide a reason for dropping the suit.
