Zhong, 19, applied to 18 colleges in 2023 and was rejected by 16 of them, including the University of Washington’s computer‑science program. He never enrolled at any school.

According to his father, Nan Zhong, the fact that Stanley never became a student gives him what the father calls "evergreen legal standing," meaning his right to sue does not disappear the way it does for plaintiffs who later enroll.

The lawsuit argues that the university’s diversity plans explicitly weigh race to reach a racial‑balancing target, and Judge Robart said the claim is plausible based on two planning documents from the Allen School.

No law firm agreed to represent the family, so the Zhongs are handling the case themselves and used artificial‑intelligence tools to draft the court filings.