ITHACA, N.Y. (Diya TV) — A white evolutionary biologist has filed a federal lawsuit against Cornell University, alleging the Ivy League school used unlawful race-based hiring practices and excluded qualified candidates from consideration. The lawsuit, filed this week, comes from Dr. Colin Wright and was brought by the America First Policy Institute. It claims Cornell violated federal civil rights law by using race, ethnicity, and identity as key screening tools in a faculty hiring process during the 2020–2021 academic year.
The complaint says Cornell failed to consider Wright for a tenure-track position because he is White. Wright argues the university used a secretive hiring process that prioritized diversity criteria over merit.
According to the lawsuit, Cornell did not publicly post the position. Instead, the university allegedly limited the search to candidates labeled as “underrepresented minority scholars.” Wright says this approach prevented open competition and excluded him before he could apply. AFPI claims internal university emails and documents support these allegations. The group says whistleblowers released the materials last year, which later led to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit points to internal records that describe what it calls a “diversity axis” used to rank faculty candidates. The documents allegedly flagged applicants by race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disability status.
One department email from December 2020 stated that Cornell allowed diversity and inclusion administrators to create an interview list made up only of underrepresented minority scholars. The lawsuit says this directive aimed to secure a “diversity hire.” AFPI argues this process violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which bars employment discrimination based on race.
Wright says he searched for similar job postings during the same period and never found a public listing for the Cornell role. He claims the university’s actions denied him a fair chance to compete.
The lawsuit states Wright believes he had stronger qualifications than the candidate who received the position. He alleges he lost the opportunity for a salary that could have reached $700,000 per year. Wright seeks compensatory damages for emotional distress, reputational harm, and lost income. He also seeks back pay, front pay, and damages for lost future wages. The lawsuit also requests punitive damages.
AFPI says the case goes beyond one hiring decision. The organization argues the lawsuit challenges a broader system that it claims allows race-based selection in higher education.
“This case is about ensuring civil rights laws apply equally, without exception,” said Leigh Ann O’Neill, AFPI’s chief legal affairs officer. She said Cornell’s internal records show intentional actions rather than confusion or error. O’Neill said the university cannot avoid federal law by labeling discriminatory practices as diversity initiatives.
A spokesperson for Cornell University declined to comment on the lawsuit. The university has not filed a public response in court as of this week. AFPI also noted Cornell reached an agreement last year with the U.S. Department of Education to resolve prior Title VI and Title IX matters. The group says that the agreement does not cover the hiring practices alleged in this case.
