US JUSTICE DEPT. ACCUSES
DUKE LAW SCHOOL OF
RACISM AGAINST WHITES,
ASIANS
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
In it’s continuing effort to eradicate DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) in higher education, the U.S. Dept. of Justice (DOJ) has accused Duke University Law School of racially discriminating against White and Asian applicants in favor of Black and Hispanic applicants in its admission process in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
In a letter dated August 6th to Duke Law, the DOJ added that it found “…a deliberate effort to preserve racial outcomes,” in violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision banning race as a factor in college admissions. That ruling involved UNC-Chapel Hill and Harvard University.
As evidence, the DOJ cited its review of LSAT scores for 2024, saying that Black and Hispanic applicants had lower scores than their White and Asian counterparts, yet were 3.5 times more likely to be admitted in 2025.
Then, thanks to an executive order from President Donald requiring universities to provide detailed admissions information by race to the federal government for oversight purposes, DOJ says it was able to determine that Duke Law used racial proxies to hide the fact that it was still implementing its DEI in admissions.
“Duke Law’s internal documents, including policies, and communications confirm the Department’s findings that Duke Law intended to discriminate against all racial groups except black and Hispanic applicants, [in order] to accept more black and Hispanic applicants.”
For its part, Duke University issued a statement addressing the DOJ accusations. “Duke Law’s internal documents, including policies, and communications confirm the Department’s findings that Duke Law intended to discriminate against all racial groups except black and Hispanic applicants, [in order] to accept more black and Hispanic applicants.”
The Chronicle Newspaper of Duke University reported that the DOJ is seeking a voluntary resolution to the allegations against Duke Law School, which isn’t the only North Carolina institution under scrutiny by federal officials under President Trump.
The U.S. Dept of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) has cited East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine for alleged racial discrimination in its student admissions policy. This comes after the OCR investigated Duke University’s Medical school and Duke Law Journal for the same accusation.
OCR is accusing these schools of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The investigation is significant because unlike in the past where there federal government probed schools for alleged racial discrimination against Blacks and other people of color, the OCR’s current investigation is based on accusations of either white or Asian-American complainants, and complies with the Trump Administration’s anti-DEI (diversity, equity and Inclusion) policy, though no specific allegations have been revealed.
ECU’s Brody School of Medicine is just one of five new alleged racial discrimination targets for OCR. The investigation is a joint effort led by the OCR, along with the Dept. of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Dept. of Justice.
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DEMOCRATS, ACTIVISTS
SPEAK OUT AGAINST ELECTIONS
BILL AFTER PASSAGE
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
Democrats in the state legislature are outraged. Voting rights activists are furious. And Democratic Gov. Josh Stein says his veto pen is all inked up and ready for it to hit his desk.
But legislative Republicans say the passage of House Bill 958 last week was a good thing because it will save money and improve election integrity.
The bill, which also passed along party lines in the state Senate several weeks ago, would shorten the early voting period for primaries from 17 days to just 10 days. It would also require the state Auditor to audit each election afterwards, increase efforts to purge allegedly ineligible voters from the voting rolls, make it easier to challenge election results, and make it harder to determine where a campaign’s funding is coming from by changing campaign
finance rules, among other new election rules.
House Speaker Destin Hall told reporters that contrary to what legislative Democrats say, the bill, once it becomes law, will make things easier for North Carolina voters, and make the election process one that voters could put greater trust in.
Plus, smaller counties in the state supported the measure because primary elections don’t see the heavy turnouts that general elections attract. By shortening the early voting period for primaries from 17 to 10 days, makes up for the days when no primary voters go to the polls, they say.
Opponents counter that shortening the early voting period makes more difficult for rural voters, military voters overseas and workers to fit casting a ballot into their schedules.
But Democrats and voting rights activists say HB 958 only make things harder for North Carolinians who want to cast a ballot. “[This bill] makes it harder for you to vote, introduces unnecessary chaos into our elections and invites sore losers to try to overturn an election they lost,” responded Gov. Stein, promising to veto the measure. “I will always defend your right to vote.”
House Democratic Leader Robert Reives of Chatham added that what all North Carolina counties need are more resources to carry out elections properly, and state lawmakers should make that happen.
Several voting rights groups rallied in front of the state legislature after the bill passed. Marcus Bass, executive director of the North Carolina Black Alliance told reporters that the implications of HB 958 and the actions of the that are happening in the NC General Assembly are far greater than just Democrat and Republican.
Now that HB 958 has passed, and with the November 3rd midterms elections scheduled to occur in less than three months, state lawmakers won’t be back in session until after the elections so that they can campaign and legally accept contributions (something they’re prohibited from doing while the NC General Assembly is in session). It is then that Speaker Hall said Republican lawmakers may try to override Gov. Stein’s veto if he issues one.
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