The Department of Justice’s civil rights division, once considered the crown jewel of the agency, has under the Trump administration become a tool for politicized and racialized attacks against Black, Latino, and other people of color. The latest examples are the sham findings of discrimination issued against the medical schools of UCLA and Yale University for admitting high-achieving Black and Hispanic students. The administration is cynically wielding its anti-discrimination authority to tear down civil rights advances at the cost of equal educational opportunity.
Flawed Methodology
In its findings, the Justice Department claimed that the grades and test scores of Black and Hispanic admitted applicants were less competitive than those of white and Asian admits, alleging intentional discrimination against white and Asian applicants. However, the conclusions overstate the difference in scores and ignore other applicant data, including transcripts, letters of recommendation, and essays. The differences in GPAs and test scores—one standard deviation or less—are too small to be legally or statistically significant and may be explained by random factors unrelated to race. Two standard deviations is the commonly accepted threshold for statistical significance in racial discrimination cases.
Misinterpretation of Law
The Justice Department’s focus on small average differences mistakes correlation for causation and itself reduces the issue to race. It fails to account for other factors like socioeconomic status or geography that may impact scores. Moreover, it misconstrues the Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (SFFA), suggesting that race cannot be considered at all. In reality, SFFA permits schools to consider obstacles and opportunities faced by individual students, including those related to race. Ignoring persistent racial inequalities would discount qualities of determination and perseverance that these candidates bring.
Systemic Challenges
In California, Black and Hispanic students face systemic headwinds. Schools serving predominantly Black and Hispanic populations often lack resources like experienced teachers, college prep curricula, and dual enrollment programs. A 2023 survey found that 78% of Black college students in California experienced food insecurity and 65% experienced housing insecurity—the highest rates of any racial group. Nearly 60% of Latino students work while attending college, which can hurt grades, especially for low-income students. These challenges mirror national trends, yet the Justice Department ignores individual circumstances and inequalities in educational resources.
Abandonment of Enforcement
While manufacturing claims of discrimination, the administration has abandoned its legal obligation to investigate meritorious complaints. Over the past year, Trump cut nearly half of the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights staff and closed seven of 12 regional offices, leaving thousands of complaints unresolved. Despite record complaints in 2025, the office reached only 112 resolution agreements—the fewest in at least 12 years—and none involved racial harassment, discriminatory discipline, sexual harassment, or violence. Students are left without federal protections.
Ongoing Investigations
The administration continues to twist civil rights laws to exclude certain groups. Beyond Yale and UCLA, the Justice Department has pending investigations into medical school admissions at Stanford, Ohio State, and UC San Diego. Yale and UCLA have defended their admissions as legal and based on academic achievement and personal commitment. Other colleges must stand against such attacks and remain committed to equal opportunity for all students, including Black, Hispanic, and other students of color.
ReNika Moore is director of the ACLU’s Racial Justice Program.
