Justice Department accuses Yale med

The U.S. Justice Department said on May 14 that Yale School of Medicine violated federal civil rights law by using race in admissions, escalating the Trump administration’s scrutiny of medical schools after a similar finding against UCLA eight days earlier. The department’s Civil Rights Division said a year-long investigation found Yale intentionally discriminated on the basis of race in the incoming classes of 2023, 2024 and 2025. Yale said it was “confident in the rigorous admissions process we follow” and would review the department’s findings. The dispute centers on Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which barred the use of race in college admissions. ### What exactly did the Justice Department accuse Yale of doing? The Justice Department said Yale’s own documents showed that school leadership “intentionally selected applicants based on their race” and studied how to use racial proxies after the Supreme Court’s Harvard ruling. In its May 14 press release and findings letter, the department said Black and Hispanic applicants had a higher chance of admission than white or Asian applicants with the same test scores. (justice.gov) Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said Yale had continued a “race-based admissions program” despite the court’s ruling. The May 14 findings letter said the department’s compliance review began with an April 11, 2025 inquiry and was followed by a supplemental request for information on September 29, 2025. The letter said Yale receives direct federal financial assistance and that Title VI allows the department to investigate recipients of federal funds for race discrimination. ### Which law is at the center of the case? (justice.gov) Title VI of the Civil Rights Act bars recipients of federal financial assistance from discriminating based on race or ethnicity, the department said in its findings letter. The Justice Department said it was applying Title VI as interpreted by the Supreme Court’s 2023 Harvard decision, which ended affirmative action in college admissions. (justice.gov) The department said that if a recipient fails to comply, federal law requires the government first to seek voluntary compliance before filing suit. The Yale letter says the department can pursue judicial enforcement if compliance cannot be obtained by voluntary means. ### How did Yale respond? Yale said in a statement that its medical school “is confident in the rigorous admissions process we follow,” according to the Associated Press report carried by ABC News. (justice.gov) The university added that admitted students demonstrate “exceptional academic achievement and personal commitment” and said it would review the Justice Department’s letter. Yale’s public nondiscrimination statement says the university does not discriminate in admissions on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin and other protected characteristics. Yale School of Medicine’s admissions page says the program seeks students who will become outstanding clinicians, scientists and leaders. ### Why is UCLA part of this story too? The Justice Department said on May 6 that UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine also discriminated on the basis of race in admissions after another year-long investigation. (abcnews.com) In that case, the department said admitted Black and Hispanic applicants had lower academic qualifications on average than white and Asian applicants, and Dhillon said the admissions process had been focused on racial demographics “at the expense of merit and excellence.” (yale.edu) The Yale finding makes Yale the second medical school to receive that accusation from the department this month. The two cases show the administration is focusing its post-Harvard enforcement on medical schools that receive federal funds. That is an inference drawn from the timing and wording of the two Justice Department releases. (justice.gov) ### What happens next? The Justice Department said in its letter that it is seeking to enter a voluntary resolution agreement with Yale. The department also said it may go to court to enforce Title VI if it cannot secure compliance through voluntary means. The next public step is likely to be either a negotiated agreement between Yale and the department or a court filing if talks fail. (justice.gov) For now, the operative documents are the department’s May 14 press release and its findings letter to Yale’s outside counsel, Peter Spivack of Hogan Lovells. (justice.gov)