Father and Son Win Court Ruling in Anti-Asian College Admissions Case
A federal judge let a civil-rights suit alleging Asian-American bias in college admissions move forward, allowing the plaintiffs to seek discovery.
Nan Zhong and his son Stanley, a recent high-school graduate with a 1590 SAT score and a software engineering position at Google, sued a group of elite universities alleging racially discriminatory admissions practices against Asian-American candidates. The complaint targets the University of California system, University of Washington, University of Michigan, and Cornell University, among others. A federal judge, James L. Robart, partially rejected the universities’ motion to dismiss, allowing the Title VI portion of the case against the University of Washington to continue and opening the door to discovery of internal admissions data.
The decision also involved a sovereign-immunity argument. The Zhong family argues the lawsuit reflects a systemic issue, noting that many other Asian-American families have reported similar experiences since the case became public. While the University of Washington emphasized its preference for in-state applicants, the plaintiffs view the ruling as a significant step toward addressing alleged bias.
Why it matters
The case could shape how colleges evaluate race in admissions and affect future Asian-American applicants.
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