Govt backs plaintiffs in Harvard lawsuit

The US Department of Justice, questioning Harvard University's use of race as a criterion in its admissions process on Thursday, supporting Asian-American applicants suing the Ivy League school for discrimination.

By filing a statement of interest, the department supported the claim made by the plaintiff, Students for Fair Admissions, that Harvard has been intentionally and systematically discriminating against Asian-Americans by elevating the standard for their admission and limiting the number who get accepted.

The statement of interest said the university "has failed to carry its demanding burden to show that its use of race does not inflict unlawful racial discrimination on Asian-Americans".