The Justice Department is investigating the University of California system over potential civil rights violations tied to its faculty diversity hiring plan.
The probe raises major legal questions about the use of race and sex in employment practices at public universities.
Key Facts:
- The DOJ announced a Title VII investigation into UC’s hiring practices on Thursday.
- The probe centers on the UC 2030 Capacity Plan, which pushes for faculty diversity tied to race and sex benchmarks.
- The Justice Department warned these initiatives may act as unlawful employment quotas.
- UC says it will cooperate and maintains its commitment to nondiscrimination and inclusion.
- In March, UC dropped mandatory diversity statements after federal scrutiny intensified.
The Rest of the Story:
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is scrutinizing whether the University of California system is violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act by using race and sex as criteria in hiring decisions.
The department’s letter cites concerns that UC’s “2030 Capacity Plan” may promote discrimination against job candidates who do not fall into preferred demographic groups.
Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, stated that while public employers may pursue inclusive campuses, they still must follow federal anti-discrimination laws.
UC responded by affirming it would work in “good faith” with the DOJ and reiterated its aim to support a welcoming and legally compliant campus environment.
The UC 2030 plan seeks to increase representation of minorities and women in academia through targeted outreach and faculty recruitment strategies.
However, the DOJ argues that such efforts may cross the legal line by instituting implicit quotas.
The system has already backed away from one high-profile DEI practice, announcing in March it would no longer require diversity statements in hiring.
Justice Department Opens Investigation into the University of California System for Race- and Sex-Based Employment Practiceshttps://t.co/RIgVmoZuW2 pic.twitter.com/IstH04y29E
— DOJ Civil Rights Division (@CivilRights) June 26, 2025
Commentary:
Here we go again—another public university trying to engineer outcomes with identity-based quotas instead of merit.
The UC system’s “2030 Capacity Plan” reads less like an academic roadmap and more like a political wish list.
Hiring based on race or sex isn’t just a bad idea—it’s illegal. That’s not opinion, it’s federal law.
Title VII doesn’t give universities a pass just because their goals sound noble.
If the numbers become the standard—“X percent Hispanic professors by 2030,” for example—you’re no longer hiring the best candidate. You’re checking boxes.
The UC system wants to be a “national model” for serving minorities.
Fine. But does that mean shortchanging qualified applicants who don’t fit the preferred categories?
That’s how you turn a university into a social lab instead of an institution of excellence.
And let’s not forget: these plans don’t come cheap.
DEI administrators, training seminars, compliance audits—it all gets baked into tuition or handed off to taxpayers.
Is this what students and parents are signing up to fund?
What’s more troubling is the arrogance behind the initiative.
UC didn’t hide its preferences. It publicly embraced them, banking on political cover and academic groupthink.
But the law is catching up.
Credit to the Justice Department for stepping in.
When public universities behave like political advocacy groups, it’s time to shine a light and apply the law.
The Bottom Line:
The UC system’s diversity hiring goals may have crossed the line from inclusion into discrimination.
The DOJ’s investigation signals growing resistance to race- and sex-based employment policies, especially in publicly funded institutions.
If UC prioritized ideology over law, it may now face real consequences.
Read Next
– UN Watchdog Destroys Dem Narrative Regarding Strike on Iran’s Nuclear Program
– Biden Appointed Federal Judge Orders Trump Admin to Release EV Funds to Blue States
