The United States Justice Department showed public support to Harvard students’ claims that the ivy league school is discriminating against Asian-American applicants in its application process.

In July, NONPART reported on the Trump’s Administration’s rescinding of 7 affirmative action policies and a move toward race-blind college admissions.

According to the on-going investigation, Harvard’s admissions process places Asian-American students at a serious disadvantage when compared to other ethnic groups. The group representing Asian-American students requested its 2014 lawsuit go to trial. The trial is now set to begin in mid-October.

The lawsuit alleges that Harvard is in direct violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which has zero tolerance to racial discrimination within programs that receive federal funding. Harvard University currently receives a total of $550.5 million in federal funds.

The Justice Department filed a brief in Massachusetts’s federal court on Thursday, showing students their support for fair admissions. According to a press release issued by the US Justice Department, Harvard University has neglected to prove fair admissions for Asian-American students. The press release read, “[Harvard has] failed to show that it does not unlawfully discriminate against Asian Americans.”

In response to the Justice Department’s brief, the Ivy League school filed a motion for summary judgement; if the motion is approved the case will not go to court.

Harvard issued a statement which promised, “Harvard does not discriminate against applicants from any group and will continue to vigorously defend the legal right of every college and university to consider race as one factor among many in college admissions.”

Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a statement today, on behalf of the United States Justice Department, stating, “No American should be denied admission to school because of their race. As a recipient of taxpayer dollars, Harvard has a responsibility to conduct its admissions policy without racial discrimination by using meaningful admission criteria.”

The New York Times published an article on June 30, reporting the group representing Asian-American students conducted an analysis into 160,000 student records. Results showed Harvard had evaluated Asian-American applicants lower than other ethnicity in traits such as “positive personality” and being “widely respected”.

The analysis found that despite Asian-Americans’ significant high test scores, high school-grades, and impressive extracurricular activities, the applicants’ personality evaluations reduced their chances of admission.

The court documents filed by the group representing Asian-Americans also included proof of an investigation Harvard had conducted in 2013 into its admissions policies. Documents showed the investigation had confirmed the Ivy League was biased against Asian-American applicants. Harvard, however, did not make the investigation public.

The Justice Department justified their elevated interest in the case due to Harvard University’s multi-million-dollar federal funding.