Attorney General Todd Rokita seeks DEI information from Notre Dame

UPDATE: The University of Notre Dame released the following statement in response to Rokita:

"As a faith-based institution driven by its religious values, Notre Dame strives to treat every member of our community in a manner consistent with our firmly held Catholic beliefs. At the heart of these beliefs is the recognition that we are all children of God, deserving of dignity and respect from one another. We are likewise committed to the rule of law. Accordingly, Notre Dame does not discriminate based on race or ethnicity. We are in receipt of the attorney general's letter and will respond in due course."

ORIGINAL STORY: NOTRE DAME, Ind. -- Attorney General Todd Rokita has issued Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs) to the University of Notre Dame and Indianapolis' Butler University, seeking information about their DEI practices and potential state law violations.

The CIDs aim to determine whether the universities are engaging in racially discriminatory practices that may violate their nonprofit statuses, the Indiana False Claims Act, or the Deceptive Consumer Sales Act.

This comes after both universities failed to provide these materials when requested by Rokita in May.

“Notre Dame and Butler were given ample time to address the concerns of many by responding to questions about their DEI practices, but they failed to provide anything meaningful,” said Rokita. “Just because the universities say they are complying with state law does not make it so.”

Rokita further states that materials posted on Notre Dame and Butler's websites may suggest that their operations are governed by policies that treat individuals differently based on their race or ethnicity. This would include admissions or hiring decisions and university resource allocation based on race as well as utilizing racial stereotypes.