The Department of Justice (DOJ), now under the control of the Biden Administration, has dropped a longstanding discrimination lawsuit against Yale University, as reported by ABC News.
The DOJ informed the district court in Connecticut on Wednesday that it was voluntarily dropping the suit, which was originally filed in October of 2020 after a two-year investigation by the Trump-era DOJ determined that Yale was discriminating against White and Asian applicants based solely on their race. Such racial discrimination was found to be in violation of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, by “subjecting domestic, non-transfer Asian and White applicants…to unlawful discrimination on the ground of race.”
The DOJ had previously issued an ultimatum to Yale, demanding that they reform their admission standards and processes, or face a federal lawsuit. Yale refused to alter their admissions criteria, thus leading to the lawsuit.
Yale president Peter Salovey had previously described the lawsuit as “based on inaccurate statistics and unfounded conclusions,” without citing any evidence. Following the Biden DOJ’s announcement, a Yale spokesperson said that Yale “is distinguished by its academic excellence and diversity,” also claiming that “its process complies fully with Supreme Court precedent.”
But despite the formal setback, Yale’s legal troubles may not be over yet. A student activist group, Students for Fair Admissions, says it will re-file a similar suit on its own. The president of SFA, Edward Blum, said in a statement that while “it is disappointing that the Department of Justice withdrew from this important lawsuit…it is important that this lawsuit continues to be vigorously litigated through the courts during the coming months and years if necessary.”