Identity of Speakers
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Do No Harm
Unaffiliated
OtherNationwide membership organization of healthcare professionals, students, patients, and policymakers who want to protect healthcare from radical, divisive, and discriminatory ideologies; Plaintiff.
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Students for Fair Admissions
Unaffiliated
OtherVoluntary membership organization formed for the purpose of defending human rights and civil liberties, including the right of individuals to equal protection under the law, through litigation and other lawful means; Plaintiff.
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Kelly Mahoney
Unaffiliated
OtherCollege graduate rejected from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; Plaintiff.
Resources
Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
Lawsuit
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Incident Political Orientation:
Not Clear -
Incident Responses:
Litigation
Title IX or other federal statute
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Incident Status:
In litigation Federal District Court
- Did not involve Speech Codes
Summary
On May 13, 2025, Do No Harm, Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), and medical school applicant Kelly Mahoney filed a lawsuit against the Regents of the University of California, UCLA, and officials associated with the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. The complaint alleged that UCLA’s medical school admissions process violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other federal and state laws by considering race in admissions decisions after the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. The plaintiffs alleged that UCLA used race and racial proxies through its holistic review process, including applicants’ personal statements and descriptions of their backgrounds and experiences, and sought a court order barring the medical school from considering race in admissions.
The lawsuit alleged that UCLA’s admissions process incorporated racial considerations and demographic goals in selecting students. The plaintiffs alleged that the process disadvantaged certain applicants, including Asian American and white applicants, by allowing race to influence admissions outcomes. The complaint sought declaratory and injunctive relief requiring UCLA to comply with federal law and prohibiting the medical school from using race as a factor in admissions decisions. UCLA responded that it did not comment on pending litigation but stated that the David Geffen School of Medicine was “committed to fair processes in all of our programs and activities, including admissions, consistent with federal and state anti-discrimination laws.”
On January 28, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it had moved to intervene in the lawsuit. The Department stated that the case concerned whether UCLA continued to use race as a factor in medical school admissions despite the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling prohibiting consideration of race in higher education admissions. The Department joined the plaintiffs’ challenge and alleged that UCLA’s admissions practices violated federal law.
On May 6, 2026, the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division announced that it had completed a year-long investigation into UCLA’s medical school admissions practices and determined that the school had discriminated based on race in violation of Title VI and the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision. The Department stated that its findings supported allegations raised in the lawsuit, including that UCLA considered race in its admissions review process and selected applicants based on race. UCLA stated that its admissions process was “based on merit” and involved a “rigorous, comprehensive review of each applicant,” and said it complied with state and federal laws while reviewing the Department’s findings.
