US Justice Dept to probe hiring practices at University of California

Washington: The U.S. Justice Department will investigate hiring practices at the University of California system to examine whether its efforts to boost faculty diversity run afoul of anti-discrimination laws, the department said in a statement on Thursday.

The probe is the latest move against colleges and universities by President Donald Trump's administration, which has also launched investigations into campus antisemitism and has sought to freeze research funding.

The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division alleged that the university system openly measures new hires by their race and sex. The probe will investigate whether its practices represent a pattern or practice of discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which bars employment discrimination.

“Institutional directives that use race- and sex-based hiring practices expose employers to legal risk under federal law," Harmeet Dhillion, the head of the Civil Rights Division, said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the University of California system said it would work with the Justice Department "in good faith" during the investigation.

"The University of California is committed to fair and lawful processes in all of our programs and activities, consistent with federal and state anti-discrimination laws," the spokesperson said in a statement. "The University also aims to foster a campus environment where everyone is welcomed and supported."

The investigation focuses on the university's strategic plan, which identifies increasing underrepresented minority and female faculty as a university goal.

The probe could begin another legal battle between the Trump administration and California, the largest U.S. state and a bastion of liberal politics.

The state's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, sued after Trump took control of California National Guard troops to quell anti-deportation protests in Los Angeles earlier this month. The Trump administration has said it is investigating the state over a law allowing transgender athletes to compete on girls' teams in state schools.