US Probes California Universities' Admissions Compliance

The U.S. Department of Justice has initiated investigations into Stanford University and three campuses within the University of California system—UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UC Irvine—to ensure compliance with the 2023 Supreme Court ruling that banned affirmative action in college admissions. The DOJ, under Attorney General Pam Bondi, aims to eradicate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices that allegedly lead to racial discrimination, with potential federal funding cuts for non-compliance. Stanford and the University of California claim their admissions policies already adhere to the Supreme Court's decision and California's Proposition 209, which banned race-based preferences since 1996. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services is investigating allegations of discriminatory admissions at a California medical school, believed to be UCLA. Both federal departments are part of a wider initiative to ensure educational institutions focus on merit-based admissions.