Federal Judge Throws Out Trump Administration’s Antisemitism Lawsuit Against Harvard

A federal judge dismissed the Justice Department’s case against Harvard University after finding insufficient evidence that the school was engaged in ongoing, systemic racial discrimination.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

A federal judge on Thursday dismissed the Trump administration’s lawsuit against Harvard University, rejecting the Justice Department’s case alleging discriminatory conduct at the Ivy League school.

U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns concluded that the government had not presented sufficient evidence showing Harvard was engaged in ongoing and systemic racial discrimination, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The ruling ends the Justice Department lawsuit at a time when Harvard and other Ivy League institutions have faced sustained scrutiny over their responses to allegations of antisemitism on college campuses.

Concerns intensified following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, which was followed by widespread pro-Palestinian demonstrations at universities across the United States.

Harvard became one of the institutions at the center of the national debate over how universities were responding to antisemitism, campus protests and threats or harassment directed at Jewish students.

The controversy also brought heightened scrutiny to Harvard’s leadership.

Then-President Claudine Gay faced sharp criticism after appearing before a House committee alongside other university presidents for a hearing examining antisemitism on college campuses.

Lawmakers expressed dissatisfaction with the presidents’ responses during the hearing, and Gay subsequently faced growing pressure to leave her position.

She ultimately resigned after a separate plagiarism controversy intensified calls for her departure.

The Justice Department’s lawsuit represented another front in the broader dispute surrounding Harvard and allegations of antisemitism.

Stearns’ ruling Thursday, however, found that the evidence before the court did not establish the continuing, systemic discrimination necessary to sustain the federal government’s case.

The dismissal marks a legal setback for the Trump administration as it continues confronting universities over their policies and handling of campus conduct following the wave of demonstrations that began after the Oct. 7 attack.