Justice Department Forces Jersey City School to Abandon Racial Quotas in Admissions

The Justice Department announced a settlement this week with the Jersey City Board of Education to end race and national origin discrimination in admissions at Dr. Ronald E. McNair Academic High School, a competitive college preparatory magnet school, federal officials said.

The voluntary settlement agreement resolves a Civil Rights Division investigation under Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin.

“Quota systems that define students by their race or national origin have been illegal since the 1970s,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Federal law requires that all students, regardless of their race or national origin, be allowed to compete for admission to the best schools in their district—and this Department of Justice will ensure they have equal opportunity to do so.”

The investigation determined that McNair admitted students under a quota system that reserved a specific number of seats in four categories: “Black,” “White,” “Hispanic,” or “Other.” Applicants were divided into these categories based on self-identification. After offering admission to an equal number of students in each category, the school filled the remaining class seats without regard to race or national origin.

Under the settlement agreement, the district will overhaul its admissions process to end the practice of reserving seats based on race or national origin. The district will no longer provide any preference or benefit to applicants based on race or national origin. Before the next admissions cycle—for the 2027-2028 school year—the district will adopt a compliant admissions policy and train staff on nondiscriminatory practices. The district must also submit status reports to the Department on McNair’s admissions process.

The settlement agreement remains in effect until August 15, 2029, unless both parties agree otherwise.

Justice Department Finds UC Davis Medical School Admissions Practices Violate Supreme Court Ruling

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced Wednesday that it has determined the University of California, Davis School of Medicine discriminates based on race in its admissions process, in violation of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard.

The determination follows a six-month investigation by the department into Davis Med’s admissions practices.

“Davis Med’s actions reflect both unabashed contempt for the rule of law and plain disregard for the potential public health consequences of putting race over merit, skill, and competence,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department will not allow schools to violate federal law without consequence.”

According to the investigation, Davis Med adopted admissions practices with the stated goal of circumventing the Supreme Court’s ruling. Documents provided by the school indicate that its leadership discussed using certain class-based “socioeconomic variables” or “disadvantages”—such as family income, parental education, or being from an “underserved area”—as proxies for race.

To increase admissions of “underrepresented minorities,” Davis Med created the “Davis Scale,” which ranks applicants based on perceived “disadvantages” while adjusting the weight of their GPA and MCAT scores. As a result, in 2024, Davis Med became the third most racially diverse medical school in the country, behind only historically black universities.

The department’s review of admissions data from 2023 to 2025 found that 93% of white and certain Asian admittees had MCAT scores at or above the average black admittee. The data also showed that black and Hispanic applicants were admitted at rates up to six times higher than white and Asian applicants, despite having, on average, lower academic qualifications.

Davis Med is one of several medical schools that continue to consider race in admissions following the Supreme Court’s ruling. Last month, the department reached similar determinations regarding UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine and Yale University School of Medicine.

The department said it will engage in settlement negotiations with Davis Med to bring its admissions practices into compliance. If those efforts are unsuccessful, the department intends to file a lawsuit.

The University of California, Davis School of Medicine in statement on US Department of Justice findings said, “We are disappointed by the report and its conclusions. UC Davis School of Medicine strongly disagrees with any characterization of its admissions practices as discriminatory or inconsistent with applicable law. The report’s findings do not accurately reflect the school’s rigorous, individualized, and merit-based admissions process and our firm commitment to complying with applicable federal and state antidiscrimination laws. UC Davis is fully committed to meeting the critical healthcare needs of California, particularly those in underserved and under-resourced areas.”

Medical schools receive substantial federal financial assistance and are subject to federal non-discrimination laws. The department stated it will continue to monitor compliance with federal law.

Note: Read the Department’s findings here.