UCLA Medical Accused of Illegal Race-Based Admissions

Federal lawsuit alleges Geffen School discriminates against white and Asian applicants

Feb. 4, 2026 at 9:23pm

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The U.S. Department of Justice has joined a lawsuit against UCLA's medical school, accusing it of admitting students based on race rather than academic qualifications. The lawsuit, filed by the advocacy group Do No Harm, claims the Geffen School of Medicine routinely admits Black applicants with below-average GPAs and MCAT scores, while holding white and Asian applicants to much higher standards.

Why it matters

This case highlights ongoing tensions over affirmative action and race-conscious admissions policies in California. In 1996, voters passed Proposition 209, which banned racial preferences in state education, employment and contracting. However, the University of California system has continued to build a large 'diversity, equity and inclusion' bureaucracy, which critics say violates state law.

The details

The lawsuit alleges that UCLA medical school dean Jennifer Lucero and the admissions committee have been discriminating against white and Asian applicants by requiring them to have near-perfect academic scores just to be considered, while routinely admitting Black applicants with below-average qualifications. The Department of Justice, led by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon, has joined the lawsuit, stating that the medical school's actions violate the Supreme Court's ban on race-balancing in admissions.

  • In 1978, UC Davis medical school rejected student Allan Bakke on the basis of race, leading to a Supreme Court case that banned racial quotas in admissions.
  • In 1996, California voters passed Proposition 209, which ended racial and ethnic preferences in state education, employment and contracting.
  • In 2020, California voters rejected Proposition 16, which would have repealed Prop 209 and allowed the return of affirmative action policies.
  • In 2024, UC Santa Barbara sought to fill a $250,000-$430,000 'Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion' position, despite Prop 209 remaining in effect.

The players

Harmeet K. Dhillon

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice, who has joined the lawsuit against UCLA medical school.

Jennifer Lucero

Dean of the Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, who is accused of discriminating against white and Asian applicants in the admissions process.

Do No Harm

A medical advocacy group that filed the original lawsuit against UCLA medical school over its alleged race-based admissions practices.

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What they’re saying

“Even after the Supreme Court banned race-balancing, the Geffen School kept discriminating by using illegal DEI preferences in admissions.”

— Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Justice

What’s next

The judge presiding over the lawsuit will determine whether to allow the case to proceed and potentially issue an injunction against UCLA's medical school admissions practices.

The takeaway

This case reignites the debate over affirmative action and race-conscious policies in California, which has a long history of voter-approved bans on such practices. The outcome could have significant implications for the future of diversity initiatives at the state's public universities.