US Officials Investigate Harvard Law Review

(MENAFN) The Trump administration revealed on Monday that it has initiated formal inquiries into Harvard University and its prestigious Harvard Law Review, focusing on claims that racial background plays a role in editorial decisions.

These examinations are being conducted by the civil rights divisions of both the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Officials from the two federal agencies stated that these investigations were triggered by complaints of "race-based discrimination permeating the operations of the journal."

The probe specifically targets alleged procedures and standards used in selecting members for the journal and choosing articles for publication, which might contravene Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Craig Trainor, the Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, emphasized the concern by stating, "Harvard Law Review’s article selection process appears to pick winners and losers on the basis of race, employing a spoils system in which the race of the legal scholar is as, if not more, important than the merit of the submission."

This remark underscores suspicions that the publication gives undue preference based on ethnicity, potentially sidelining qualifications and academic value.

Trainor went on to affirm the federal statute, declaring, "Title VI’s demands are clear: recipients of federal financial assistance may not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national origin."

He added that no organization, regardless of its status or history, is exempt from adhering to these legal standards.

"The Trump administration will not allow Harvard, or any other recipients of federal funds, to trample on anyone’s civil rights," he concluded, making clear the administration’s intention to uphold anti-discrimination laws without exception.

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