In a recent development, several educational institutions in Illinois have formally withdrawn from a minority-exclusive scholarship program following a warning from the Department of Justice (DOJ). The affected program, Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois (DFI), was scrutinized for using race as a criterion to determine eligibility, which the DOJ claimed violated the Equal Protection Clause. The DOJ’s warning stems from concerns that the program unlawfully excluded students based on race, as cited by violations of the 14th Amendment.
This action follows remarks by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who asserted that “the threat of legal action can be enough to force bad actors into dissolving harmful practices that disregard merit and divide Americans based on race.” These institutions contend that they have not utilized the DFI program for several years, but they proceeded with an official withdrawal to align with DOJ mandates. More information about the universities’ formal withdrawal can be found in the original article on Law.com.