Like Harvard, Yale denied that its policies were discriminatory, saying its admissions process adheres to both federal law and Supreme Court rulings that have generally supported affirmative action. The Justice
Legal experts saw the department’s finding against Yale as an extension of conservative legal efforts to end race-based college admissions policies, a battle that is expected to eventually reach a Supreme Court that leans more conservative after two appointments by President Trump, with confirmation hearings for his third nominee set to begin next week.
Ted Mitchell, the president of the American Council on Education, called the Justice Department’s lawsuit “shocking and disheartening,” and said it contradicted decades of Supreme Court precedent that allowed for holistic admission processes.
“Nothing less than the autonomy of our nation’s higher education institutions and their crucial role as engines of social and economic mobility is at stake,” Mr. Mitchell said.
Several challenges to admissions practices, including at Harvard, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Texas at Austin, have been orchestrated by Students for Fair Admissions, a group that opposes affirmative action, and are making their way through the federal courts.
Will Wright contributed reporting.