Do No Harm v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services et al.
News Release from Do No Harm, March 30, 2026
- CASE NAME Do No Harm v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services et al.
- CASE TYPE Lawsuit
- LOCATION Washington, D.C.
- CASE STATUS Pending
On March 30, 2026, Do No Harm filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for its administration of a racially discriminatory scholarship, the Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program (NHHSP).
Designed for students pursuing certain healthcare careers, this lucrative scholarship pays tuition, provides a monthly stipend for living expenses, and covers other school-related costs. In exchange, recipients agree to provide healthcare services in Hawaii for a couple of years following graduation.
However, since 1992, Congress has instructed that the program operate for the purpose of providing scholarship assistance to students who are “Native Hawaiians.” Applicants must attest to and prove their Native Hawaiian ancestry. If they don’t check this racial box, they are foreclosed from even submitting an application.
Because the Constitution’s equal protection guarantee bars the federal government from discriminating based on race or ethnicity, this case seeks to ensure an end to the government’s blatantly illegal discrimination in the operation of this scholarship.
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Why this suit will fail
Oct, 2026: Kamehameha Admissions: Without Affirmative Action Defense, Who Needs Victimology? -- “Congress does not extend services to Native Hawaiians because of their race, but because of their unique status as the indigenous people of a once sovereign nation as to whom the United States has established a trust relationship."
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