The first is that the lawfirm filed a complaint - a word generally used for raising probable cause issues.
The second is that discrimination (the term used in the article) can be prosecuted under Title 18 (criminal federal law). Unless it were a conspiracy to violate civil rights, I don't believe the professor is facing any hard time. But if the courts find the practice unconstitutional, it could have far reaching ramifications in qualifying students for medical school, etc.
RWP, I don't believe the professor used a threat of physical force to intimidate the student. The threat was to "willfully interfere with" his enrolling in a public school, if he didn't disavow his religious beliefs.