WASHINGTON, D.C. – America First Legal (AFL) has received confirmation from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) that it is conducting a compliance review of the University of Virginia (UVA) pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq. Title VI prohibits entities receiving federal funds from engaging in discrimination based on race, color, or national origin.

This confirmation follows AFL’s May 22, 2025, letter to the Department and its Office for Civil Rights, which detailed extensive evidence that UVA is actively operating programs that discriminate based on race, sex, ethnicity, national origin, and other impermissible, immutable characteristics under the pretext of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in open defiance of federal civil rights law, controlling U.S. Supreme Court precedent, and Executive Orders issued by President Donald Trump. 

“UVA has not dismantled its DEI framework — it has merely rebranded it to evade legal scrutiny. What the law prohibits, UVA simply renamed,” said Megan Redshaw, Counsel at AFL.

AFL’s letter put UVA on notice that AFL is actively monitoring the University’s compliance with federal law, expressed support for DOJ’s enforcement efforts, and provided additional evidence that UVA has failed to dismantle its discriminatory DEI infrastructure as required — choosing instead to rename, repackage, and redeploy the same unlawful framework under a new lexicon of euphemisms.

AFL will continue to expose unlawful discrimination in higher education and fight to ensure that every American is protected under the law.

Read the full letter here.

Photo Credit: Adobe Stock / demerzel21