Sixteen Colleges Rejected This Google Engineer

A series of racial discrimination lawsuits filed by Stanley Zhong and his father against several prestigious universities, including the University of California system and Cornell. Despite having a near-perfect SAT score and securing a PhD-level software engineering role at Google at age eighteen, Zhong was rejected by sixteen of the eighteen colleges to which he applied. The plaintiffs allege that these rejections stem from systemic bias against Asian-American applicants, prompting them to establish the organization Students Who Oppose Racial Discrimination (SWORD). Notably, after struggling to find legal representation, the Zhongs utilized generative AI to draft their legal complaints, a move that has sparked debate regarding the ethics and efficacy of AI in the judicial process. While some legal experts believe this technology will not hinder the merits of the case, other courts have already sanctioned individuals for submitting filings containing AI-generated fictitious citations. These legal battles occur amidst a broader national conversation following the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision to strike down race-conscious admissions policies.