Berkeley Law accused of favoring Black applicants over Asian, White: DOJ

Key Points:

• The Trump administration, through the DOJ and Department of Education, accused UC Berkeley School of Law of racial discrimination by favoring Black applicants over Asian and White students, violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
• The DOJ's analysis found Black applicants in 2025 had 5.8 times higher odds of admission compared to comparable White applicants, with significant disparities in LSAT scores between admitted Black students and their White and Asian counterparts.
• Despite California's ban on affirmative action since 1996 (Proposition 209), Berkeley Law is alleged to have used race-conscious admissions policies, although the school denies these claims and states it complies with all relevant laws by considering only race-neutral factors.
• Berkeley Law and UC Berkeley's administration maintain that admissions decisions are merit-based and do not consider race, emphasizing their commitment to legal compliance and diversity through permissible means.
• This federal action is part of a broader crackdown on race-conscious admissions policies at elite universities following recent Supreme Court rulings limiting affirmative action programs.