The U.S. Department of Justice and Department of Education announced Wednesday that the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law violated federal civil rights law by allegedly favoring Black applicants over White and Asian applicants in its admissions process.
The two agencies concluded that Berkeley Law violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars racial discrimination in programs that receive federal funding. The finding follows a compliance review that federal officials opened in March 2025, more than two years after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action admissions programs used by many colleges and universities. California voters banned affirmative action in public education back in 1996 through Proposition 209.
“The data produced by Berkeley Law demonstrates a strong bias against Asian and White applicants, with a corresponding bias in favor of Black applicants,” the DOJ said in its findings.
What the numbers show
According to the DOJ’s analysis, Black applicants in 2025 had 5.8 times higher odds of admission than comparable White applicants. Looking at LSAT scores for students admitted in 2024 and 2025, the department found that 37% of admitted Black applicants scored below 99% of admitted White applicants, and half of admitted Black applicants scored below 95% of admitted White applicants.
Median LSAT scores from 2021 through 2025 showed a consistent gap: Black admits scored around 165, while Asian and White admits scored around 172. Hispanic admits had a median score of about 169.
“The median Black admit consistently has an LSAT score about 5 points lower than the median white or Asian admits,” the DOJ wrote in a letter to Tania Faransso, an attorney representing the law school.
As of October 2025, Berkeley Law had 1,128 students enrolled, including 516 White, 293 Asian, 130 Hispanic and 51 Black students.
Berkeley Law pushes back
The law school rejected the allegations, saying its admissions practices comply with both federal law and Proposition 209. The school said it is permitted to pursue a diverse student body through race-neutral factors such as socioeconomic status and personal experience, without giving preference based on race.
“Our admissions policy is clear that race is not considered in any way in admissions decisions,” the school said in a statement. “Proposition 209, federal statutes and the Supreme Court’s decisions do not preclude schools from pursuing diversity so long as they give no preferences based on race. Berkeley Law does not do so.”
UC Berkeley’s central administration echoed that stance, saying the university is “committed to ensuring that every student is admitted based on their merit, and not on their race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin,” and pledged to provide evidence that it complies with all applicable admissions laws and policies.
The case is part of a broader push by the Trump administration examining race-conscious admissions practices at elite universities, including a separate review targeting UCLA.
