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, spokeperson Dee Mostofi said Thursday.

The schools may be in violation of a landmark Supreme Court ruling banning colleges and universities from using race-based admissions criteria.

The Department of Justice has instigated investigations into Stanford University, UC Berkeley and other University of California schools to make sure they adhere to a Supreme Court ruling abolishing diversity-focused admissions, Reuters reported.