The U.S. Department of Justice alleged that the University of California, Davis School of Medicine violated federal anti-discrimination law by using “socioeconomic disadvantage” metrics that DOJ characterizes as racial proxies. DOJ’s findings, announced Wednesday after a six-month investigation, argue UC Davis ranked applicants using class-based variables and weighted other criteria in ways that created proxies for race, which DOJ says conflict with the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision limiting race-conscious admissions. The statement by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon accused the medical school of disregarding the “rule of law” and argued the actions risk public harm from prioritizing proxies over merit. UC Davis previously promoted its “Davis Scale” as a way to assess educational opportunity without race-conscious admissions, and DOJ said it intends to sue if negotiations do not restore compliance.