The Trump administration is investigating Duke University and the Duke Law Journal for alleged racial discrimination in violation of federal civil rights law.
The Department of Education launched its investigation Monday based primarily on alleged racial discrimination at the Duke Law Journal in connection with its 2024 application process for potential editors.
In June, the Washington Free Beacon reported that the Duke Law Journal sent a memo to minority applicants encouraging them to highlight their race and gender in personal statements for its competition to select the next batch of editors. The memo was distributed only to minority affinity groups, and they were instructed not to share it. Recipients of the memo were told how they could gain points on their applications by emphasizing their diversity and participation in affinity groups.
In addition, the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services wrote a letter to Duke voicing concerns about alleged racial discrimination in hiring, admissions, and scholarships. The letter specifically criticizes Duke Health, the school’s health-care system, and Duke’s Medical School for allegedly engaging in discrimination.
Moreover, the letter asks Duke to form a panel on merit and civil rights to facilitate an agreement between the North Carolina school and the federal government.
“If Duke illegally gives preferential treatment to law journal or medical school applicants based on those students’ immutable characteristics, that is an affront not only to civil rights law, but to the meritocratic character of academic excellence,” said Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
“Blatantly discriminatory practices that are illegal under the Constitution, antidiscrimination law, and Supreme Court precedent have become all too common in our educational institutions. The Trump administration will not allow them to continue.”
NR has contact Duke and the Duke Law Journal for comment. The Free Beacon first reported on the investigation.
Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act makes it illegal for federally funded institutions to discriminate based on race and other characteristics. On a similar basis, the Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that race-based college admissions policies are illegal under the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause.
The Supreme Court ruling and political blowback have altered the legal landscape surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion programs — the left-wing initiatives that focus primarily on racial categories instead of individual achievement when evaluating people.
The Trump administration has launched civil rights investigations into numerous schools over alleged racial and gender discrimination. The federal government has also investigated schools for fostering antisemitism on campus.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration launched a probe of Harvard Law School’s Harvard Law Review for alleged racial discrimination in relation to its membership and article selection criteria in recent years.