DOJ investigates Stanford, California universities over affirmative action compliance

On Thursday, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced an investigation into admissions policies at several California colleges, including Stanford University, UCLA, University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, Irvine. The Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division is probing to see if these universities are compliant with a Supreme Court ruling that prohibits universities from using discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies in their admissions.

"President Trump and I are dedicated to ending illegal discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunity across the country," said Bondi in a press release. "Every student in America deserves to be judged solely based on their hard work, intellect and character, not the color of their skin." The Justice Department said it is demanding compliance with the High Court's 2023 ruling in Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. President & Fellow of Harvard College.

Trump's DOJ explained in the press release that elite colleges and universities have for decades prioritized racial quotas over equal opportunity, dividing Americans and discriminating against entire groups of applicants. According to the Justice Department, the Biden administration failed to take any action to safeguard the civil rights of American students and instead promoted the ideology that advanced this illegal practice.

"The Department of Justice will put an end to a shameful system in which someone's race matters more than their ability," said Acting Associate Attorney General Chad Mizelle. "Every college and university should know that illegal discrimination in admissions will be investigated and eliminated."

According to the Justice Department, the compliance investigations into these universities "are just the beginning of the department's work in eradicating illegal DEI and protecting equality under the law."

Stanford University said in a statement, "We continue to be committed to fulfilling our obligations under the law. We do not have details about today's announcement, but we look forward to learning more about their concerns and responding to the department's questions," per USA Today. The University of California said that it has adhered to a ban on affirmative action since 1996, when California voters approved a ballot initiative. The university system said in a statement, "At the same time, we remain committed to expanding access for all qualified students. The UC undergraduate admissions  application  collects  students' race and ethnicity for statistical purposes only. This information is  not shared with application reviewers  and is not used for admissions."