Aaron Sibarium (Washington Free Beacon), Harvard Law Review Asked Prospective Editors To Disclose Their Race Days After It Was Hit With Civil Rights Probes:
The Trump administration announced on Monday that it was investigating the Harvard Law Review over allegations of race discrimination. Seventy-two hours later, the journal asked prospective editors to disclose their race as part of the application process, writing in an email that it would use this information to select candidates from "diverse … backgrounds."
The email, which was sent to all first-year law students, included a memo that encouraged applicants to "convey aspects of their identity," including their race, through an optional "holistic review" statement.
"This statement may identify and describe aspects of your identity not fully captured by the categories on the previous page," the essay prompt reads. It proceeds to list a slew of characteristics that applicants are invited to disclose, including race, socioeconomic status, and seven different kinds of disability—"physical, intellectual, cognitive/neurological, psychiatric, sensory, developmental, or other."
Lawyers who reviewed the memo said it provided further evidence of discrimination at the nation’s top law journal and appeared to violate the Supreme Court’s warning, in its decision outlawing affirmative action, that essays may not be used to circumvent the ban on racial preferences.
Prior TaxProf Blog coverage:
- Pervasive Pattern Of Racial Discrimination At Harvard Law Review (Apr. 28, 2025)
- Trump Administration Investigates Harvard Law Review For Racial Discrimination (Apr. 29, 2025)
- Harvard Law Review Hunts For Leaker Of Racial Discrimination Practices (May 2, 2025)
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