In the United States, the Department of Justice targets prestigious Yale University, and wants to reach an agreement

The Trump administration is now targeting Yale, one of the most prestigious American universities. Following its previous attacks on educational and cultural institutions, the Department of Justice accused Yale School of Medicine on Thursday of discriminating against white and Asian applicants. The issue at hand is an extensive investigation into diversity practices within this elite university.

This is a new episode in President Donald Trump’s campaign against American universities, which he accuses of promoting a “woke” ideology, a term that conservatives use pejoratively to denounce progressive and inclusive policies. “Internal documents at Yale show that its leadership intentionally selected candidates based on their race,” the Department of Justice said in a statement.

Specifically, based on admission data, it alleges that “Black and Hispanic students have a much higher chance of being admitted to Yale than white or Asian students with the same test scores.”

When contacted by AFP, the university promised to “carefully consider” the Department of Justice’s request. The School of Medicine “is confident in the rigor of its admissions process,” a spokesperson said in an email.

The episode comes as affirmative action, long promoted in the United States, is now under scrutiny. The Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that affirmative action measures, which universities have practiced for years to promote diversity in their recruitment, were illegal.

The Department of Justice claims that Yale did not comply with this decision and continued to practice admissions based on the candidates’ origins. Before considering any possible lawsuits, the Department assures that it wants to “reach an amicable resolution agreement with the university” so that it can “comply with the law.”

The DOJ does not specify what this agreement might contain. Previously, universities sued by the Trump administration had to pay significant sums of money to have the lawsuits dropped.

Last week, the Trump administration launched a similar attack on the School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. As part of its broad offensive to reign in higher education institutions, Donald Trump threatened to cut federal funding.

He uses this as a negotiating tool with universities he deems too liberal, demanding that they accept changes to their programs, enrollment policies, or other aspects of their operations.

The Republican administration has also reduced or frozen funding for university research as part of broader budget cuts since taking office in January 2025. Located in New Haven, Connecticut (northeastern USA) since the early 18th century, Yale is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the United States.