|
Neubauer Artists LLC Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... |
A federal judge on Thursday dismissed the Trump administration’s lawsuit that accused Harvard University of letting antisemitism run unchecked, a major defeat in the federal government’s monthslong battle with the Ivy League institution.
District Court Judge Richard Stearns, a Clinton appointee, said the Trump administration failed to prove “an ongoing violation of Title VI” by Harvard University.
This comes after the Trump administration sued Harvard University back in March, accusing the school of failing to address antisemitism and discrimination against Jewish and Israeli students.
The administration’s complaint focused mainly on incidents that took place during the 2023-24 school year, Stearns wrote.
Only three alleged incidents occurred after that period, which the court found to be too “isolated and episodic” to support the administration’s claims of alleged continued noncompliance with Title VI — the antidiscrimination statute from the Civil Rights Act — by the university.
The Trump administration signaled it may fight the decision.
“We disagree with the ruling and are assessing next steps,” Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said in the statement.
The White House deferred to the DOJ’s statements.
Thursday’s ruling marks just the latest development in a long-running feud between the Trump administration and the country’s oldest university.
Harvard previously notched a major victory in September 2025 after a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration’s attempt to freeze more than $2 billion in federal research grants was illegal.
But the Trump administration continued its efforts to stifle the university’s funding, alleging in the most recent 44-page lawsuit that Harvard did “nothing” in response to Jewish and Israeli students being “harassed, physically assaulted, stalked, and spat upon,” in the wake of Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack in Israel.
“Harvard cares deeply about members of our Jewish and Israeli community and remains committed to ensuring they are embraced, respected, and can thrive on our campus,” the university responded in a March statement.
It’s unclear what exactly the administration’s continued efforts against the university will look like as the DOJ considers next steps.
Harvard did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday’s ruling.
Bianca Quilantan contributed to this report.