In a lawsuit filed Thursday afternoon in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, the DOJ alleged that Yale was in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits racial discrimination by institutions that receive federal funds. In its 32-page complaint, the department documents Yale's use of race as a factor at every step of its admissions process and details statistical evidence that students of similar academic skill but different racial groups face wildly divergent admissions chances.

The suit follows DOJ's official request that Yale cease its use of race as an admissions factor, itself the result of a multi-year investigation into Yale's admissions practices. Although the two institutions negotiated extensively since that request was made in August, a DOJ official told the Washington Free Beacon, Yale has refused to alter its admissions process, necessitating legal action.

Yale president Peter Salovey contested the charges in a letter to the Yale community, writing that they were claimed on "inaccurate statistics and unfounded conclusions," and reiterated his view that "Yale does not discriminate against applicants of any race or ethnicity."