LOS ANGELES (KTLA) –A lawsuit filed Monday in federal district court alleges that the University of California illegally considered race in undergraduate admissions, giving preference to “non-Asian racial minorities,” including Black and Latino students.
The lawsuit was filed by Students Against Racial Discrimination, an organization founded last year by Richard Sander and Tim Groseclose, professors at UCLA and George Mason University, respectively, as reported by EdSource.
The suit claims that the university system “discriminates against large numbers of Asian American and white applicants, who are denied admission to UC schools based on their race.” The lawsuit also asks that a judge appoint an independent monitor to review UC admissions indefinitely.
Sanders has been a critic of the consideration of race in admissions. He’s also the co-author of “Mismatch,” a book that argues “minority students who benefit from affirmative action in admissions may end up enrolling at institutions where they may not thrive,” according to Insider Higher Ed.
Many experts have disputed this theory.
Sanders also previously filed a lawsuit against UC regarding affirmative action in 2018.
In California, public colleges are banned from considering race in admissions, thanks to Proposition 209, a ballot measure from 1996. In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court banned affirmative action nationwide.
In a statement to KTLA, a UC representative said that the university system has not yet received a copy of the lawsuit.
“If served, we will vigorously defend our admission practices. We believe this to be a meritless suit that seeks to distract us from our mission to provide California students with a world-class education,” Stett Holbrook, strategic communications for the UC office of the presdient, said in an emailed statement
“Since the consideration of race in admissions was banned in California in 1996, the University of California has adjusted its admissions practices to comply with the law. We stand by our admission policies and our record of expanding access for all qualified students. The UC undergraduate admissions application collects students’ race and ethnicity for statistical purposes only. This information is not shared with application reviewers and is not used for admission.”
