Stanford and UC Berkeley are among the four California universities being investigated in a new federal probe launched Thursday over "illegal DEI" admissions practices. Why it matters: President Trump has threatened to cut federal funding from schools that use race as a determining factor in their admissions,

The Justice Department investigation, led by its Civil Rights Division, will examine admissions policies at Stanford University, University of California Berkeley, University of California Los Angeles and University of California Irvine. Stanford already is in compliance with federal law, spokesperson Dee Mostofi said Thursday.

The U.S. Justice Department has begun an investigation into the admission policies of five California universities to see if any still employ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion practices.