The Department of Justice (DOJ) is preparing a concerted campaign against affirmative action policies in higher education, The New York Times has learned.
The Times obtained an internal announcement circulated within DOJ’s civil rights division, a department unit which enforces federal anti-discrimination laws, soliciting interest in “investigations and possible litigation related to intentional race-based discrimination in college and university admissions.â€
The report claims that the purpose of the effort is to identify and litigate against policies which disadvantage white applicants. However, the Times’ report does not identify those sections of the document which evince interest in protecting white students.
Indeed, such a tactic is at odds with the strategies employed by anti-affirmative action groups that are currently fight race-conscious admissions policies in court. Groups such as Students for Fair Admissions have sued institutions of higher education, including Harvard University and the University of Texas, on the basis of discrimination against Asian applicants.
Other efforts to curtail race-based admission due to alleged discrimination against whites have not ended successfully.
Vanita Gupta, who led the civil rights division during the Obama administration, characterized the move as “disturbing.â€
A Justice Department spokesperson declined comment on the matter to The Daily Caller News Foundation.
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