Overview
- Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced federal compliance reviews of admissions policies at Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UC Irvine to ensure adherence to the Supreme Court's 2023 affirmative action ban.
- The investigations are part of the Trump administration's broader effort to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies in higher education, citing claims of illegal discrimination.
- Universities under investigation, including Stanford and the UC system, assert that they have complied with the Supreme Court ruling and do not use race or ethnicity in admissions decisions.
- Critics highlight the lack of disclosed evidence or specific complaints that prompted the DOJ probes, raising concerns about the motivations behind the investigations.
- The crackdown on DEI initiatives follows earlier federal warnings to universities about potential funding cuts for non-compliance, reflecting a wider campaign targeting race-based practices.