The Trump administration accused the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law of violating federal civil rights law by favoring Black applicants over White and Asian students, marking the latest federal action targeting race-conscious admissions policies at American universities.
The Department of Justice, working with the Department of Education, found that Berkeley Law violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits racial discrimination in programs receiving federal funds. The findings followed a compliance review launched in March 2025, roughly two years after the Supreme Court sharply limited affirmative action programs that many universities had used for decades.
According to the DOJ's analysis, Black applicants in 2025 had 5.8 times higher odds of admission than comparable White applicants. The department also said an analysis of LSAT scores for admitted students in 2024 and 2025 found that 37 percent of Black admitted applicants scored below 99 percent of admitted White applicants, and that half of the school's admitted Black applicants had LSAT scores below 95 percent of admitted White applicants.
Median LSAT scores from 2021 through 2025 showed a persistent gap between racial groups, according to figures cited by the DOJ. Black admits scored around 165, Asian and White admits scored around 172, and Hispanic admits had median scores around 169. The department said in a letter to an attorney representing the law school that the median Black admit consistently had an LSAT score about five points lower than the median White or Asian admit.
«The data produced by Berkeley Law demonstrates a strong bias against Asian and White applicants, with a corresponding bias in favor of Black applicants,» the DOJ said in its findings.
As of October 2025, Berkeley Law had 1,128 students enrolled. Of those, 516 were White, 293 were Asian, 51 were Black and 130 were Hispanic. California had already banned affirmative action in public education under Proposition 209, enacted in 1996, meaning the state's public universities have operated under a race-neutral admissions requirement for nearly three decades.
Berkeley Law rejected the allegations, saying its admissions decisions comply with federal law and Proposition 209. The school noted that the laws still allow institutions to build diverse student bodies by considering race-neutral factors such as socioeconomic status and personal experiences.
«Our admissions policy is clear that race is not considered in any way in admissions decisions,» the school said. «Proposition 209, federal statutes and the Supreme Court's decisions do not preclude schools from pursuing diversity so long as they give no preferences based on race. Berkeley Law does not do so.»
UC Berkeley's central administration also defended the school, saying it is «committed to ensuring that every student is admitted based on their merit, and not on their race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin.» The university added that it «will spare no effort to provide ample evidence showing that the university complies with all relevant laws, policies and rules governing admissions.»
The findings against Berkeley Law are part of a broader federal push targeting race-conscious admissions practices at elite universities. The administration has opened similar reviews at other institutions, including UCLA, as it expands its scrutiny of diversity, equity and inclusion programs in higher education. The dispute now sets up a potential legal confrontation over how universities can pursue diversity without running afoul of federal anti-discrimination law.