Lawsuit targets Harvard legacy admissions post-affirmative action ban.

Lawyers File Civil Rights Complaint Against Harvard, Alleging Discrimination in Legacy Admissions

Lawyers for Civil Rights, on behalf of the Chica Project, the African Community Economic Development of New England, and the Greater Boston Latino Network, filed a civil rights complaint against Harvard on Monday. The complaint claims that the college’s legacy admissions system “systematically disadvantages applicants of color.”

In light of recent Supreme Court rulings against race-based admissions processes, activists in the Boston area submitted the complaint to the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. They argue that affirmative action was initially implemented as a counter to legacy admissions.

Seeking Federal Investigation and Legal Declaration

The lawsuit calls for the Office for Civil Rights to conduct a federal investigation into legacy practices and declare them illegal. It alleges that Harvard’s special consideration of applicants with family ties to the school or those who have made donations is equivalent to racial consideration.

“Harvard College grants special preference in its admissions process to hundreds of mostly white students — not because of anything they have accomplished, but rather solely because of who their relatives are,” states the complaint.

The lawsuit highlights that nearly 70% of applicants claiming legacy ties are white, and those with such ties are almost six times more likely to be admitted. Similarly, applicants with donor relations are nearly seven times more likely to be admitted, with a similar number of them being white. The class of 2019 consisted of approximately 28% legacy students.

Challenging Privilege and Advantages

Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, the executive director of Lawyers for Civil Rights, expressed his concerns about the college admissions process. “There should be no way to identify who your parents are in the college application process,” he said. “Why are we rewarding children for privileges and advantages accrued by prior generations? Your family’s last name and the size of your bank account are not a measure of merit and should have no bearing on the college admissions process.”

The lawsuit also cites institutions that have already eliminated legacy considerations in their applications. It references a working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research, which argues that without legacy admissions, more minority students would be accepted, and close to 25% of white students would not gain admission.

President Biden’s Criticism and Harvard’s Response

Last week, President Joe Biden criticized legacy admissions, stating that they “expand privilege instead of opportunity,” in response to the Supreme Court decision. However, Harvard remains committed to diversity-oriented admissions, despite the ruling.

In its response to the opinion, Harvard focused on Chief Justice John Roberts’s statement that universities can still consider an applicant’s discussion of how race affected their life. The school’s response assured compliance with the Court’s decision.

Harvard has chosen not to comment on the civil rights complaint, and Lawyers for Civil Rights did not respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.

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