{"id":2646273,"date":"2026-08-18T02:46:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T06:46:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-investigating-college-of-william-and-mary-for-possible-violations-of-civil-rights-act\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T02:49:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T06:49:15","slug":"doj-investigating-college-of-william-and-mary-for-possible-violations-of-civil-rights-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-investigating-college-of-william-and-mary-for-possible-violations-of-civil-rights-act\/","title":{"rendered":"DOJ investigating College of William and Mary for possible violations of Civil Rights Act"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdoj-investigating-college-of-william-and-mary-for-possible-violations-of-civil-rights-act%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2646273&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Department of Justice (DOJ) has initiated an investigation into the College of William and Mary to determine if the institution violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-judge-halts-biden-administration-program-that-discriminated-against-white-farmers-saying-lawsuit-could-be-successful\/\" title=\"Federal Judge Halts Biden Administration ... That Discriminated Against White Farmers, Saying Lawsuit Could Be Successful\">race-based criteria<\/a> in awarding scholarships and student benefits. Key programs under scrutiny include the \u201cW&#038;M Scholars,\u201d which offers full tuition to academically distinguished students with a preference for \u201cinterest in diverse people and perspectives,\u201d as outlined by the college. Other programs like the Martha L.Muguira Fellowship, Lemon Legal Scholars Programme, and Reaching Back Scholarship have also raised concerns for allegedly favoring Latino, Hispanic, or HBCU graduates. The DOJ emphasized that any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disabled-immigrant-sues-biden-over-quota-blocking-him-from-contracts-because-of-his-race-and-sex\/\" title=\"Disabled Immigrant Sues Biden Over Quota Blocking Him From Contracts Because Of His ... And Sex\">race-based preferences<\/a> in educational benefits could constitute discrimination and violate federal law. While the investigation is ongoing, officials clarified that no conclusions have been reached regarding potential violations, and the department aims to ensure compliance with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-blackburn-promotes-bill-to-protecting-female-athletes-from-trans-competition\/\" title=\"Sen. Blackburn Promotes Bill to Protecting Female Athletes from Trans Competition\">anti-discrimination statutes<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\">Department of Justice<\/a> announced on Monday that it was opening an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/justice-department-investigates-william-marys-scholarships-student-benefits-unlawful-race\">investigation<\/a> into the College of William and Mary over whether the college violated the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/377669\/5-things-to-know-about-the-1964-civil-rights-act\/\">Civil Rights Act<\/a>. The concerns stem from the school allegedly using race-based criteria to determine the distribution of scholarships and other student benefits. If it is determined that the school did so, it would violate \u201cTitle VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of particular interest is the university\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wm.edu\/as\/wmsure\/wm-scholars\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cW&#038;M Scholars\u201d<\/a> program, which grants scholarships covering the \u201cfull cost of in-state tuition and fees\u201d to \u201cacademically distinguished students,\u201d according to the College of William and Mary website. The program is advertised as being \u201ccompetitive\u201d with \u201ctop consideration\u201d given for three specific metrics, one of which is \u201cinterest in diverse people and perspectives.\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4690764\/doj-investigating-college-of-william-and-mary-violations-civil-rights-act\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>DOJ investigating College of William and Mary for possible violations of Civil Rights Act<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4690297\/joe-concha-democrats-hasan-piker\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Joe Concha: Democrats will pay for embracing \u2018radical\u2019 Hasan Piker<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4689645\/majority-americans-worse-off-financially-trump-second-term-poll\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Majority of Americans say they\u2019re worse off financially since Trump took office again: Poll<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDemonstrated experience and interest in bridging differences and embracing diverse people and perspectives,\u201d reads the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wm.edu\/as\/wmsure\/wm-scholars\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">description<\/a> for the \u201cinterest in diverse people and perspectives\u201d category.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CivilRights?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@CivilRights<\/a> Division is investigating if William &#038; Mary\u2019s scholarships &#038; other student benefits include unlawful race-based preferences. Skin color shouldn\u2019t dictate which students get coveted opportunities in higher ed &#038; we remain committed to ending these practices!\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AAGDhillon\/status\/2089438373194731871?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 17, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other programs at the College of William and Mary also raised concerns for the DOJ including the Martha L. Muguira Fellowship which gave \u201cpreference\u201d to Latino and Hispanic women, the Lemon Legal Scholars Program which allegedly was \u201cexclusively earmarked for graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and the \u201cReaching Back Scholarship\u201d which gave a \u201cpreference\u201d to applicants from HBCU schools as well as those \u201cwho contribute to the diversity\u201d of W&#038;M Law.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs you know, W&#038;M currently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-sues-biden-admin-over-pharmacy-mandate-to-dispense-abortion-drugs\/\" title=\"Texas Sues Biden Admin Over &quot;Pharmacy Mandate&quot; to Dispense Abortion Drugs\">receives federal financial assistance<\/a> from the Department of Justice and accordingly must abide by Title VI\u2019s anti-discrimination requirements,\u201d the DOJ\u2019s notice letter <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/crt\/media\/1458091\/dl\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reads<\/a>. \u201cAt this time, our investigation will focus on possible race discrimination in W&#038;M\u2019s scholarships and financial aid, recruitment, and educational support. Providing any educational benefits, including recruitment, scholarships, and support services, based on race violates the civil rights of all Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/harmeet-dhillon\/\">Harmeet Dhillon<\/a>, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, did not specify if the College of William and Mary was in violation of federal law, but emphasized that choosing applicants based on skin color was illegal. She said the investigation would be conducted to determine if any wrongdoing occurred. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4689253\/ice-investigation-colombian-national-fraudulently-voted-in-u-s-elections\/\"><strong>ICE INVESTIGATION AIDS IN JAILING OF COLOMBIAN NATIONAL WHO FRAUDULENTLY VOTED IN US ELECTIONS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAwarding scholarships or offering coveted opportunities to students based on the color of their skin is illegal and offends the guarantees of our color-blind Constitution,\u201d said Dhillon. \u201cWe will find out if scholarships or other student benefits at William &#038; Mary favor applicants of certain races. The Department will not turn a blind eye to race-based preferences, however they are packaged or portrayed by universities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Justice Department acknowledged that it had \u201cnot reached any conclusions about the subject matter of the investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn conducting the compliance investigation, we will seek to determine whether W&#038;M is violating Title VI,\u201d reads the DOJ\u2019s letter. \u201cWe have not reached any conclusions about the subject matter of the investigation. If we conclude that W&#038;M is not violating Title VI, we will notify you that we are closing the investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DOJ probes William &amp; Mary over potential Civil Rights Act violations<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2707,"featured_media":2646274,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-collage-3q4wlqrya-1776411228121-e1776411279982.jpg?1776396889&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[33274,84303,45347,42530,84304],"class_list":["post-2646273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-civil-rights","tag-college-violations","tag-doj-investigation","tag-education-law","tag-william-and-mary"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-collage-3q4wlqrya-1776411228121-e1776411279982.jpg?1776396889&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2707"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2646273"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646273\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2646277,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646273\/revisions\/2646277"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2646274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2646273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2646273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2646273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}