The United States Justice Department on Thursday sided with Asian-American students suing Harvard University over its consideration of race in admissions. The department said in a court filing Thursday that Harvard has failed to demonstrate that it does not discriminate on the basis of race. It noted what it described as “substantial evidence” that Harvard is carrying out what the department called “racial balancing.” Attorney General Jeff Sessions added, “No American should be denied admission to school because of their race.” The Trump administration has been pushing for admissions policies that do not use race in the consideration process. In 2014, the group Students For Fair Admission or SFFA argued that Harvard unfairly treats Asian-Americans who have strong school records. The Ivy League school denied the accusation.
