The U.S. Department of Justice accused the UC Davis School of Medicine of illegally using race in admissions after it allegedly adopted practices designed to circumvent the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ban on race-conscious admissions. DOJ alleged the school admitted 1.4% of White applicants in 2024 versus nearly 8% Black and Hispanic applicants, while minority applicants had lower average GPAs and MCAT scores. DOJ said it will sue UC Davis if negotiations do not restore compliance, framing the Davis Scale socioeconomic metric as an intentional bypass. UC Davis promoted the approach as “class-based affirmative action,” including factors such as family income and need-based scholarships. California bans race-conscious admissions in public higher education dating to 1996. The case adds pressure on medical schools that have shifted to socioeconomic or “disadvantage” frameworks after the Supreme Court decision. It also signals the DOJ’s willingness to scrutinize outcomes and internal justifications for potential indirect racial effects, with litigation implications for admissions offices nationwide.