Trump administration's lawsuit against Harvard dismissed

A judge in Boston has dismissed the antisemitism lawsuit the Trump administration brought against Harvard last March. In his ruling, Richard Stearns held that a violation of federal civil rights law had not been plausibly demonstrated and described the antisemitic incidents as isolated and episodic.

The lawsuit accused the university of turning a blind eye to antisemitism and to discrimination against Jews and Israelis during and after the protests over the war in Gaza, and of allowing anti-Israel demonstrators to breach internal rules with impunity. The legal basis invoked was Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination in programmes receiving federal funds.

The university had replied that it condemns antisemitism and is committed to ensuring that Jewish and Israeli students, like all members of the community, can study and take part in campus life without harassment or exclusion.

The judge also held that the Justice Department could not seek damages, because the law requires the administration to send the college a formal notice of violation beforehand.

A battle running for two years

The lawsuit was the latest in a series, part of a broader pressure campaign to force the university to comply with various White House demands, not only on handling antisemitism but also on race-conscious admissions policies.

After the 2024 protests the administration sent Harvard a letter demanding structural reforms by the summer, including abolishing diversity programmes and changing admissions criteria. The college's refusal was followed, on 14 April last year, by the freezing of 2.2 billion dollars in multi-year federal research grants. A month later the Department of Homeland Security threatened to revoke international students' visas, and the confrontation moved into the courts.

Rulings and appeals have followed since. In September a federal judge held that the funding freeze was largely unlawful and ordered the money restored; the administration appealed and the case is still open. The dispute over foreign students also continues: in June 2025 a federal judge found in Harvard's favour, and there too the government challenged the decision.