The US Justice Department has accused Duke University School of Law of unlawfully considering race in admissions, alleging that Black and Hispanic applicants were favoured over similarly qualified White and Asian candidates. The finding forms part of the Trump administration’s wider scrutiny of university admissions following the Supreme Court’s 2023 ban on race-conscious admissions policies.

The department said Duke used factors including personal essays and first-generation status as proxies for race, and claimed that rejected White and Asian applicants had higher median LSAT scores than admitted Black applicants in 2024 and 2025. Duke said it was reviewing the letter and remained committed to complying with the law; the Justice Department is seeking a settlement.