Harvard affirmative action case goes to trial Monday

A lawsuit challenging Harvard University's use of race as a factor in admission decisions heads to trial Monday in Boston.

At issue is whether the school unfairly discriminates against Asian-American applicants, whom the lawsuit says would have a better chance of acceptance — all other things being equal — were they white, black, or Hispanic. Harvard says it considers applicants using a "whole person review" and cultivates a "diverse campus environment."

"The case is critically important," said Nicole Gon Ochi of Asian Americans Advancing Justice–Los Angeles, which backs Harvard, "as it's really about diversity at colleges all across the country."

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Harrison Chen, an Asian-American student who was rejected by Harvard and has worked with the plaintiff organization, Students for Fair Admissions, disagrees. "We have created institutions that fail to reward merit, losing sight of the American Dream and failing our citizens," he has argued. "We are trying to combat past inequalities with, ironically, additional inequality."

The lawsuit is supported by the Trump administration's Justice Department, which has opened a similar inquiry into Yale University.