Trump Administration Probes Duke University Over Alleged Race-Based Selection Practices

The Trump administration has opened an investigation into Duke University and the Duke Law Journal to determine if race-based practices were used to select student editors, possibly violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the US media reported on Monday. The probe, reports suggest, could put the varsity at risk of losing federal funding over alleged discrimination based on race, color or national origin.

What Led to the Investigation?

The US Department of Education is investigating whether the Duke Law Journal's editor selection process favoured minority-group applicants. 

According to a Newsweek report, the university received a letter from Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asking for a review of policies. The letter also reportedly requested formation of a "Merit and Civil Rights Committee" reporting to the university's board to resolve any civil rights concerns in a speedy manner.

The Duke University's Alleged Role

Reports suggest the journal's 2024 editor selection process allegedly revealed troubling details. While all applicants submitted standard materials, including a memo and personal statement, only affinity group members received a special grading packet, the Newsweek report stated. This extra material, the report said, allowed those students to earn up to 10 bonus points for discussing how their "membership in an under‑represented group" supposedly enriched journal diversity, plus additional points for leadership roles. That packet was allegedly marked "For Affinity Groups" and was reportedly not shared with the wider pool of applicants.

Earlier this year, federal authorities initiated a similar probe into Harvard University and the Harvard Law Review over fast‑tracking articles by minority contributors.

Rights advocates say these investigations reflect a broader push by the Trump administration against universities' diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Federal funding has also been threatened over climate action programs, transgender policies, and pro‑Palestinian protests on campuses, including, most recently, in Columbia University.

Title VI prohibits race‑based discrimination at institutions receiving federal funds. Critics argue that DEI helps address historic inequities affecting marginalised groups such as ethnic minorities rather than unfairly disadvantaging white people or men, contrary to some claims by Trump officials.

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