Harvard Law Review Scrubs Race From Application Process Amid Federal Probe
24th May 2025
The Harvard Law Review has removed all references to race and gender from the essay prompt used to evaluate prospective editors, the latest sign that the journal is on the back foot following a wave of investigations and funding cuts by the Trump administration.
The journal told prospective editors on May 1—three days after the Trump administration began investigating the law review for race discrimination—that they would be encouraged to disclose a slew of protected characteristics as part of their “holistic review statement.” Lawyers who reviewed the prompt said it provided further evidence of discrimination that the government could use in its campaign against Harvard.