The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) dropped a discrimination lawsuit Wednesday that alleged Yale University had been discriminating against Asian American and White applicants in its admissions process.
The Justice Department announced it was voluntarily dismissing the action in a filing in a federal district court in Connecticut. The DOJ also notified Yale that it had withdrawn its determination letter that stated the university discriminated based on race and national origin.
The dismissal followed the federal appeals court’s decision last November that Harvard University’s use of race in undergraduate admissions aligned with federal civil rights law.
In a letter to Yale’s lawyer, deputy assistant attorney general Gregory Friel stated the DOJ was dropping the case “in light of all available facts, circumstances, and legal developments,” including the outcome of the Harvard case.
Filed in October under the Trump administration, the Yale lawsuit claimed that a two-year investigation had revealed the university violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by using racially-based admissions practices. Yale denied the allegations.
“Yale is gratified that the U.S. Justice Department has dropped its lawsuit challenging Yale College’s admissions practices,” university spokesperson Karen Peart said. “We are also pleased that the Justice Department has withdrawn its notice of violation of Title VI and its notice of noncompliance.”
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