Justice Department backs appeal in Harvard affirmative action lawsuit – Education Dive

Dive Brief:

• The U.S. Department of Justice is backing an appeal against Harvard University, pushing a federal appeals court to reverse a ruling that found the institution’s admissions policies are not explicitly discriminatory against Asian American applicants.
• The Justice Department, along with a handful of advocacy groups, filed amicus briefs on Tuesday supporting the appeal by the anti-affirmative action organization Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), which first sued Harvard in 2014.
• The case against the Ivy League school is highly watched, as law pundits have said it could reach the Supreme Court and destroy long-standing affirmative action admissions practices in higher ed.

Dive Insight:

With the support of the Justice Department, SFFA’s appeal has new momentum. In a statement Tuesday, the agency blasted Harvard’s admissions processes as a violation of Supreme Court precedent and federal civil rights law.

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