Overview
- The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division filed to intervene in a May 2025 lawsuit by Students for Fair Admissions and Do No Harm over UCLA’s medical school admissions.
- Federal lawyers assert the school favored Black and Latino applicants over white and Asian applicants in violation of the Equal Protection Clause, the 2023 SFFA v. Harvard ruling, and California’s Proposition 209.
- The government’s complaint cites 2024 median MCAT scores—Black 508, Hispanic 506, White 513, Asian 515—and points to UCLA’s collection of race data and a “marginalized group” essay prompt as racial proxies.
- The DOJ asks the court to declare UCLA’s admissions practices unconstitutional and to bar any consideration of race in admissions decisions.
- UCLA declined comment on pending litigation and said the medical school is committed to fair processes consistent with federal and state anti-discrimination laws, as the court weighs DOJ’s motion in the Central District of California before Judge John W. Holcomb.