On Thursday, the Justice Department sided with Asian-American students alleging discrimination against Harvard in a landmark affirmative action lawsuit.

Students for Fair Admissions filed the lawsuit against Harvard University claiming it was discriminating against Asians over a “personal rating” affirmative action policy in its admissions process.

According to the lawsuit, against Harvard University, Asian-Americans consistently rated lower on subjective categories such as “courage” as well as “personality,” which decreased their chances of being accepted, FOX News reported.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement:

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“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 admissions criteria that meet lawful requirements. The Department of Justice has the responsibility to protect the civil rights of the American people. This case is significant because the admissions policies at our colleges and universities are important and must be conducted lawfully.”

A Harvard spox recently defended its policies in a statement to FOX News:

“Harvard will continue to vigorously defend its right, and that of all colleges and universities, to consider race as one factor among many in college admissions, which has been upheld by the Supreme Court for more than 40 years.

Harvard released a statement Thursday in response to the DOJ’s letter.

“We are deeply disappointed that the DOJ has taken the side of Blum and Students for Fair Admissions, recycling the same misleading and hollow arguments that prove nothing more than the emptiness of the case against Harvard.”

“This decision is not surprising given the highly irregular investigation the DOJ has engaged in thus far, and its recent action to repeal the Obama-era guidelines on the consideration of race in admissions.”

“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 which the SCOTUS has upheld for more than 40 years.”