This post was updated June 26 at 6:00 p.m.

The United States Department of Justice launched an investigation against the UC on Thursday, citing concerns that the University may have engaged in race and sex-based employment discrimination.

Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ, announced the investigation in a 419-word letter to UC President Michael Drake. Dhillon said in the letter that the University may be in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of sex, gender, religion or national origin.

In the letter, Dhillon, a former Republican National Committee member who previously represented conservative groups in a lawsuit against UC Berkeley over free speech guidelines, added that the department is basing the investigation on information that suggests the UC has been discriminatory against employees, job applicants and participants in training programs on the basis of sex and race.

Dhillon added that the DOJ specifically believes the UC 2030 Capacity Plan, which intends to increase access to the University – including through an increase in enrollment and diversity – allowed for unlawful action to take place across the UC, leading to an overall investigation into the University’s practices.

“The University of California’s ‘UC 2030 Capacity Plan’ directs its campuses to hire ‘diverse’ faculty members to meet race- and sex-based employment quotas,” the DOJ said in a press release. “These initiatives openly measure new hires by their race and sex, which potentially runs afoul of federal law.”

Dhillon added that the investigation will include individual campuses across the UC. 

The DOJ previously announced a Title VII investigation of the UC in March for allegedly allowing antisemitic treatment of its employees.

“The investigation will assess whether UC has engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination based on race, religion and national origin against its professors, staff and other employees by allowing an Antisemitic hostile work environment to exist on its campuses,” the DOJ said in a press release.

[Related: Department of Justice opens investigation into antisemitism allegations at UC]

The department also announced it would be investigating UCLA for alleged use of affirmative action that same month. Affirmative action has been outlawed in California since Proposition 209 was passed in 1996. It has been illegal across the U.S. – with some exceptions – since the Supreme Court ruled that affirmative action was discriminatory in 2023.

[Related: Department of Justice investigates UCLA for alleged use of affirmative action]

The head of the Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism​​ – an initiative created under the Trump administration that intends to target antisemitic harassment – Leo Terrell said in a May interview on Fox News that the University should expect anti-discrimination lawsuits, adding that the UC will specifically face hate crime charges and Title VII lawsuits for antisemitism.

[Related: Federal official claims Trump administration intends to sue UC for discrimination]

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Eric Sell has been assigned to the investigation and plans to schedule a meeting with Drake, Dhillon added in the letter.

“It is important to note that we have not reached any conclusions about the subject matter of the investigation,” Dhillon said. “We intend to consider all relevant information, and we welcome your assistance in helping to identify what that might be. We would appreciate your cooperation in our investigation.”