The Justice Department’s civil rights division has taken a step toward investigating and suing colleges based on admissions policies deemed discriminatory against white applicants, the New York Times reported Tuesday.
The Times reported on a document it obtained sent to employees of the civil rights division. It sought lawyers interested in “investigations and possible litigation related to intentional race-based discrimination in college and university admissions.” Résumés are due in a week.
The Times reported that the announcement “suggests” the project will be run out of the politically appointed “front office” of the civil rights division. Political appointees have also played a hand in the Justice Department’s switch of position regarding Texas’ voter ID laws and gay rights cases, the Times noted.
In June 2016, the Supreme Court voted 4-3 to uphold the University of Texas-Austin’s affirmative action program. Writing for the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy asserted: “Considerable deference is owed to a university in defining those intangible characteristics, like student body diversity, that are central to its identity and educational mission.”
