NEW YORK — The Justice Department is reportedly exploring the idea of suing colleges over their affirmative action policies in admissions.

Dennis Parker, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Racial Justice Program, had this reaction:

“The idea that the Justice Department would sue colleges over their inclusive policies is an affront to fairness and sends a dangerous signal that it will no longer work to protect the most vulnerable. It would mark an alarming shift in direction that threatens the hard-fought progress made by civil rights advocates and the department itself over the past decades. The Supreme Court has made it clear that it is constitutional to appropriately consider race as one of many factors in college admissions. We will be monitoring closely.”