The Justice Department says Harvard is discriminating against Asian-American applicants, siding with a group challenging the Ivy League school's use of race in admissions in a fight that many see as the next significant threat to affirmative action.
The department, which has been investigating Harvard’s admissions policies, made the claims in a strongly worded court filing Thursday, asserting that "Harvard's race-based admissions process significantly disadvantages Asian-American applicants compared to applicants of other racial groups—including both white applicants and applicants from other racial minority groups."
The filing comes just weeks after the Trump administration scrapped Obama-era guidance that called on school superintendents and colleges to consider race when trying to diversify their campuses. The case is also unfolding as conservatives see a fresh opening to end affirmative action through Donald Trump's creation of a new conservative majority on the Supreme Court if nominee Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed this fall.
Read more at Politico: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/30/justice-department-sides-with-students-suing-harvard-over-use-of-race-in-admissions-804156