DOJ Opens Civil Rights Investigation Into US University Over Its DEI Framework |

DOJ Probes University of Virginia Over Alleged Discriminatory Practices

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has initiated an inquiry into the University of Virginia (UVA), responding to allegations of student discrimination rooted in the contentious tenets of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

On Thursday, the DOJ confirmed to America First Legal (AFL) that it is investigating claims suggesting that UVA “actively operates programs that discriminate based on race, sex, ethnicity, national origin, and other impermissible, immutable characteristics,” as reported by AFL.

This scrutiny arises despite a Supreme Court ruling that curtailed affirmative action and an executive order from former President Donald Trump banning race-based admissions in higher education.

For three years, AFL has fought relentlessly to dismantle DEI.

This week, President Trump issued an executive order ending illegal discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunity for all Americans.

This marks the beginning of the end of DEI. pic.twitter.com/nNZjsBWDIF

— America First Legal (@America1stLegal) January 22, 2025

However, AFL counsel Megan Redshaw suggests that the university’s alleged infractions lie not in overtly defying these legal directives, but rather in a more insidious strategy: rebranding its DEI initiatives to evade detection. “UVA has not dismantled its DEI framework — it has merely rebranded it to evade legal scrutiny,” Redshaw stated, emphasizing that “what the law prohibits, UVA simply renamed.”

The DOJ’s investigation was reportedly triggered by a letter from AFL detailing numerous instances of this rebranding effort.

Among the examples cited, UVA’s Darden School of Business allegedly continues to offer “diversity-focused scholarships, programming, and a Chief Diversity Officer overseeing strategic implementation.” The letter further pointed out that Darden collaborates with external organizations to provide scholarships favoring students based on impermissible characteristics.

The institution has reportedly retained many DEI-related positions, only to rename them. For instance, the “Associate Director of Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” was simply rebranded as “Associate Director, Global Recruiting.”

/6 Jannatul Pramanik was UVA’s “Associate Director of Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.” After the March 7 vote to dismantle DEI, UVA simply renamed her “Associate Director, Global Recruiting.”

The job? Still DEI.
⁰The networks? Still DEI.
The mission? Still DEI. pic.twitter.com/3BzFQaEymk

— America First Legal (@America1stLegal) May 24, 2025

The March 7 tweet referenced a decision by UVA’s Board of Visitors to dissolve the university’s DEI office. The administration announced plans to review the functions of the office and transfer all personnel and programs compliant with state and federal law within 30 days, as noted in a report by UVA Magazine.

However, the AFL letter to the DOJ raised concerns about UVA’s compliance, noting that there was no public indication the university responded to the Board of Visitors within the stipulated 30-day window, posing questions about transparency and adherence to regulations.

DEI is often criticized as an illiberal philosophy that attempts to rectify historical discrimination against certain groups by imposing new forms of discrimination on others. A prominent manifestation of DEI is affirmative action, which has been known to discriminate against Asian and white students to artificially elevate the status of black and Latino students.

This article was originally published on The Western Journal.