US Justice Dept drops discrimination case against Yale

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday dropped an affirmative action lawsuit the Trump administration had filed against Yale University last year accusing the school of discriminating against Asian American and White applicants in its undergraduate admissions process.

CNN reported that the case was originally filed in October when the department, led by then-Attorney General William Barr, alleged that the Ivy League university rejects scores of Asian American and white applicants each year "based on their race."

The decision to drop the lawsuit is seen the latest move by President Joe Biden's administration to "change its positions on several cases" pending in federal courts across the US.

The case against the university came on the back of a similar case against Harvard University, where an anti-affirmative-action group sued the university claiming their admissions practices discriminated against Asian American students. However, lower courts ruled Harvard does not discriminate in its admission decisions.

Citing a Yale spokeswoman, The Washington Post (The Post) reported that the University is "gratified" at the Justice Department's decision.

"Our admissions process has allowed Yale College to assemble an unparalleled student body, which is distinguished by its academic excellence and diversity," said Karen Peart, in an email as quoted by The Post.

She added, "Yale has steadfastly maintained that its process complies fully with Supreme Court precedent, and we are confident that the Justice Department will agree."

"The department has dismissed its lawsuit in light of all available facts, circumstances, and legal developments, including the November 2020 decision by the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit rejecting a challenge to Harvard University's consideration of race in its admissions practices," a DOJ spokesperson said in a statement.

The spokesperson added the department has also "withdrawn its notice letter finding that Yale's practices violate Title VI" of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which "prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving Federal financial assistance."

"The department's underlying investigation to ensure Title VI compliance is ongoing," they said further.

CNN further reported that the Trump administration brought the Yale lawsuit as part of its push against universities that factor race into admissions decisions, and it came after a two-year civil rights investigation spurred by a complaint by Asian-American groups.

The DoJ said last year that the university's admissions process is a violation of the Civil Rights Act and that Yale must stop the use of race or national origin in its upcoming admissions cycle "or get signoff on a plan that continues to use it from the department," officials told the school.

The US Supreme Court has long upheld campus affirmative action, permitting universities to consider the race of an applicant among many factors, toward the goal of greater campus diversity, and forbidding racial quotas in admissions.

( With inputs from ANI )