Harmeet Dhillon, the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, is initiating a civil rights inquiry into the University of Virginia (UVA) due to its alleged persistence in implementing racially biased Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices.
This decision follows revelations from America First Legal (AFL), a legal advocacy group, which has highlighted UVA’s noncompliance with federal directives declaring DEI initiatives unconstitutional and calling for their complete elimination.
Instead of terminating these programs, UVA resorted to a mere “rebranding,” changing job titles while leaving the underlying practices intact. The university’s strategy is akin to putting a new coat of paint on an old house—cosmetic changes without addressing the foundational issues.
In a press release issued last week, AFL provided a detailed account:
AFL’s comprehensive letter, supported by over 48 exhibits, reiterates the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) April 28, 2025, communication warning UVA of its failure to uphold federal civil rights statutes, established U.S. Supreme Court precedents, and recent Executive Orders from President Donald Trump. The DOJ demanded UVA to certify, with “precision and particularity,” that every division, school, and program had adhered to a resolution adopted by UVA’s Board of Visitors on March 7, requiring the dismantling of all DEI-related policies, programs, and preferences that discriminate based on race, sex, ethnicity, national origin, or other protected characteristics.
Moreover, the DOJ instructed UVA to present a thorough account of every department, role, preference system, and title eliminated; to disclose the status of individuals previously in DEI-related positions; and to supply documentation evidencing the complete dissolution of DEI practices across the institution. A response was mandated by May 2, 2025.
On April 29, UVA adopted a new resolution titled “Advancing Free Inquiry and Viewpoint Diversity at UVA,” asserting that it had “made progress” in dismantling DEI while claiming that “additional work remains” to promote “open inquiry” and foster “citizen leaders.”
/1UVA’s Board of Visitors voted to dismantle its DEI infrastructure.
Instead, UVA just rebranded.
When it failed to comply, DOJ demanded proof.
So AFL investigated — and found the truth:
Same people.
Same responsibilities.
Same agenda.
New titles.We’ve got the receipts. pic.twitter.com/TCSjbM75o9
— America First Legal (@America1stLegal) May 29, 2025
Following AFL’s assertions, a DOJ spokesperson confirmed to The Federalist that an investigation had been launched:
The Justice Department verified its inquiry into UVA to America First Legal (AFL), as reported by The Federalist, after AFL forwarded a 98-page letter to Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights and a UVA alumna, detailing how UVA is allegedly attempting to obscure its DEI framework in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
Despite the Board of Visitors’ decision to dismantle DEI earlier this year, the execution falls on the very individuals who established the DEI ideology at the institution, as The Federalist noted.
“UVA has not dismantled its DEI framework — it has merely rebranded it to evade legal scrutiny. What the law prohibits, UVA simply renamed,” stated AFL counsel Megan Redshaw in an interview with The Federalist. “We appreciate the DOJ’s attentive response to our findings and its commitment to holding UVA accountable. No publicly funded institution is above the law.”
After the Board’s vote, the DOJ sent a letter on April 28 to the university’s president, rector, and legal counsel, demanding proof of the dismantling of the DEI framework to ensure compliance with civil rights laws.
Since January, the Trump administration has pursued a systematic effort to dismantle DEI initiatives throughout the federal government, educational institutions, and among government contractors. This includes executive orders aimed at eliminating DEI offices, prohibiting race- and sex-based preferences, and enforcing strict adherence to merit-based hiring and program eligibility.
WATCH: President Trump Says He Ended “Bullish*t” DEI – “There Are Only Two Genders: MALE AND FEMALE”
