The US Department of Justice dropped its lawsuit accusing Yale University of discriminating against Asian and white applicants in undergraduate admissions, as the debate over affirmative action in higher education heads for a possible showdown at the Supreme Court.
Wednesday’s voluntary dismissal of the lawsuit, which had been brought by the Trump administration, followed a Nov. 12 decision by a federal appeals court that Harvard University’s use of race in undergraduate admissions complied with federal civil rights law.
In a letter to Yale’s lawyer, Gregory Friel, deputy assistant attorney general for civil rights, said the Justice Department dropped the Yale case “in light of all available facts, circumstances, and legal developments,” including the Harvard case.
He said the department, now under the Biden administration, will review the matter through its administrative process.
Yale welcomed the decision. “Yale has steadfastly maintained that its process complies fully…