Higher Education and Civil Rights

America First Legal has filed a 165-page civil-rights complaint with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division accusing Washington University in St. Louis of violating Title VI and a 2025 Trump executive order by embedding race- and sex-based DEI preferences across admissions, hiring, student services, contracting and research while receiving more than $3.1 billion in federal funding since 2021. The complaint cites programs that prioritize 'underrepresented' racial groups, a Bias Report and Support System that accepts anonymous bias reports, and alleged DEI-linked grading practices at the Olin Business School, and urges DOJ to investigate, force dismantling of DEI structures, and audit or condition federal funds.