DOJ Probes University Of California Over Alleged Race And Sex Hiring Quotas

The US Department of Justice has launched a civil rights investigation into the University of California system to determine if its efforts to increase faculty diversity violate federal anti-discrimination laws. The investigation focuses on the university's "UC 2030 Capacity Plan" and related programs, which aim to boost diversity by setting targets for new hires based on race and sex. The Justice Department argues that these practices may constitute unlawful employment discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon stated that public employers are bound by federal laws that prohibit racial and other employment discrimination. The UC system's plan outlines goals such as recruiting a certain percentage of graduate students from minority-serving institutions and hiring over 1,100 new faculty members by 2030. The Justice Department views these measures as potentially unlawful and promoting identity-based hiring, which is illegal. The university has responded that it is committed to fair and lawful processes and will cooperate with the investigation. This probe is part of a broader effort by the federal government to target higher education policies seen as promoting identity-based ideologies and practices.