Duke Law Journal prioritizes applicants who discuss race, documents show
Recently published documents reveal that the Duke Law Journal has prioritized candidates who discussed their race in applications.
A packet included examples of students writing essays that discussed their racial or ethnic backgrounds.
Recently published documents reveal that the Duke Law Journal has prioritized candidates who discussed their race in applications.
Applications to work for the journal must include a personal statement, according to The Washington Free Beacon. While writing this statement, applicants who discussed their “membership in an underrepresented group” or held “leadership position in an affinity group” were prioritized over those who did not.
A packet included examples of students writing essays that discussed their racial or ethnic backgrounds. As a “woman with Middle Eastern heritage,” one student wrote, “I also understand of [sic] the importance of presenting a solid work product and building credibility.”
[RELATED: Proposed California legislation taps state university system for reparations eligibility]
Duke’s policy possibly runs against the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. In that case, the court ruled that “Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it” and that the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution has “universal” application.
“This is clearly illegal,” David Bernstein, a professor of constitutional law at George Mason University, told the Free Beacon about Duke’s policy. “They’re using the personal statement as a proxy for race.”
As Campus Reform has reported, Duke Law Journal is not the only one of its kind to have been accused of discrimination. Harvard University is currently under a federal investigation after evidence came to light allegedly showing that the Harvard Law Review considers racial factors in its hiring decisions.
Subsequently, a group of white scholars sued the Michigan Law Review for allegedly considering race and sex in publishing choices.
“The Michigan Law Review is flouting these requirements by using race and sex preferences to select its members and articles—a practice that violates the clear and unequivocal language of Title VI and Title IX,” the complaint asserts.
Campus Reform has reported that a nonprofit organization, the Equal Protection Project (EPP), has brought discrimination complaints against schools such as the University of Virginia, the University of Rhode Island, the University of Oregon, DePaul University, and the University of Connecticut.
In total, EPP has filed dozens of complaints. Last year, its founder, William Jacobson, said that “[a]t least half” of the schools “changed their discriminatory practices in response.”
Campus Reform has contacted Duke University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
