The Trump administration announced Monday that it has opened a federal civil rights investigation into Duke University, following allegations that the Duke Law Journal used race-based criteria in its selection process for new editors.
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) launched the probe after a report from the Washington Free Beacon revealed that the journal allegedly distributed a special application guide to law school affinity groups. The guide reportedly encouraged applicants to highlight their racial or ethnic identity in personal statements, suggesting that candidates could earn up to 10 points for discussing how their background would help “promote diverse voices.”
One example essay included in the packet began, “As an Asian-American woman and a daughter of immigrants, I am afforded with different perspectives, experiences, and privileges.” The guide also reportedly instructed affinity group members not to share the packet with students outside of those organizations.
Duke University has not yet responded to media inquiries about the investigation.
This is not the first such action taken by the Trump administration. In April, the Department of Education launched a similar investigation into Harvard Law Review over similar concerns about race-based selection criteria.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon issued a statement condemning the alleged practices at Duke. “If Duke illegally gives preferential treatment to law journal or medical school applicants based on those students’ immutable characteristics, that is an affront not only to civil rights law, but to the meritocratic character of academic excellence,” McMahon said. “Blatantly discriminatory practices that are illegal under the Constitution, antidiscrimination law, and Supreme Court precedent have become all too common in our educational institutions. The Trump administration will not allow them to continue.”
McMahon, alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., also sent a formal letter to Duke University leadership. The letter raised broader concerns about the university’s alleged use of race-based preferences in hiring, admissions, and scholarship decisions — particularly at Duke Health. The administration is demanding that Duke immediately review and revise any policies that consider race or ethnicity when awarding benefits or opportunities.
The letter also calls for Duke to create a “Merit and Civil Rights Committee” to help resolve the alleged violations and ensure future compliance. “We are making it clear that federal funding must support excellence — not race — in medical education, research, and training,” Kennedy said in a separate statement.
