The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a civil rights investigation into the George Mason University Faculty Senate over its support of university President Gregory Washington, prompting swift condemnation from the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), which called the probe a blatant attack on academic freedom.
The investigation, first reported by The New York Times, stems from a nonbinding Faculty Senate resolution passed earlier this year that expressed support for Washington—Virginia’s first Black public university president—and affirmed the university’s commitment to diversity. The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division has demanded internal communications related to the drafting of the resolution, citing concerns over a clause referencing a 2022 institutional goal to align faculty and staff demographics with those of the student body.
In a statement issued July 29, AAUP President Todd Wolfson called the probe “a gross misuse of federal power to chill speech, silence faculty, and undermine shared governance.”
“Let me repeat that: The Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating faculty for passing a resolution supporting their president, Gregory Washington—the first Black president of Virginia’s largest public university,” Wolfson wrote.
The DOJ’s letter, sent by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, asserts that the Faculty Senate’s praise of Washington’s diversity efforts “indicates the GMU Faculty Senate is praising President Washington for engaging in race- or sex-motivated hiring decisions.” Dhillon noted the department is seeking documents to determine whether these practices violate federal anti-discrimination laws.
But AAUP argues that the DOJ is mischaracterizing the resolution, which merely cited language from the university’s strategic plan. “The resolution does not praise hiring based on race nor promote it,” Wolfson stated. “It only cites the university’s strategic plan, nothing more.”
This marks the fifth federal investigation into George Mason in recent weeks, part of what critics say is a broader campaign from the Trump administration to pressure universities over diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. Washington is facing scrutiny from multiple agencies, and the university’s Board of Visitors is set to evaluate his performance Friday—sparking fears that political pressure could lead to his ouster.
“If the Department of Justice can investigate faculty governance bodies for citing a university’s own strategic plan… then no campus in America is safe,” Wolfson warned.
AAUP has pledged to defend the faculty and called on the George Mason Board of Visitors to “reject this attempt to weaponize federal authority.”
