Virginia Senate hearing probes UVA’s DOJ non-discrimination agreement
Under the contract, the University of Virginia must comply with Department of Justice nondiscrimination guidance and submit quarterly compliance reports through 2028.
In exchange, the DOJ agreed to pause—but not permanently close—multiple investigations into the university’s admissions, hiring practices, and DEI-related programs.
Virginia state lawmakers convened on Dec. 1 to demand answers from University of Virginia (UVA) leadership about the school’s recent agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), which suspends several federal civil-rights investigations into the institution.
Under the contract, UVA must comply with DOJ nondiscrimination guidance and submit quarterly compliance reports through 2028.
In exchange, the DOJ agreed to pause—but not permanently close—multiple investigations into the university’s admissions, hiring practices, and DEI-related programs.
[RELATED: UVA to end DEI practices in agreement reached with Trump administration]
Interim President Paul Mahoney defended the agreement as a prudent legal decision that protects UVA’s financial and academic interests.
“This agreement will not cost Virginia taxpayers a single cent, contains an explicit and ringing endorsement of academic freedom, and requires us only to comply with a Department of Justice guidance document that is substantively identical with internal guidance that UVA adopted back in the spring,” Mahoney told lawmakers. “This is a great win for the Commonwealth and its flagship university.”
At the hearing, senators pressed Mahoney on what prompted the university to enter the deal and whether it could give the DOJ ongoing influence over internal university policy.
Mahoney explained that rejecting the DOJ’s proposal risked millions in federal research losses.
“The sanctions potentially available to the DOJ include immediate suspension or termination of federal research grants, which total approximately $452 million for UVA, through the simple expedient of ordering our researchers to stop work,” Mahoney said. “Waiting for an enforcement action and then litigating would have been potentially devastating to the University’s mission and its financial well-being.”
[RELATED: Court halts effort to force UCLA DEI revisions through research-grant conditions]
The agreement, Mahoney emphasized, preserves UVA’s legal autonomy.
“The agreement does not bind us to comply with any and all Department of Justice commands,” Mahoney said. “Should we disagree about how that guidance applies to a future factual situation, we could challenge the DOJ’s interpretation in court.”
Campus Reform reached out to UVA Interim President Paul Mahoney and Senator Locke. This article will be updated accordingly.
