Judge Dismisses Trump Administration's Harvard Antisemitism Lawsuit

A federal judge dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit accusing Harvard of failing to protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment, ruling Thursday that the government failed to show that the university remains in violation of federal civil rights law.

U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns granted Harvard's motion to dismiss the case, finding that the government's amended complaint did not sufficiently allege that Harvard is currently violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The lawsuit, filed by the Justice Department in March, accused Harvard of turning "a blind eye to antisemitism and discrimination against Jews and Israelis" following the wave of pro-Palestinian demonstrations that erupted after Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

But Stearns found that the government's case relied overwhelmingly on incidents from the 2023-24 academic year. Only three incidents cited in the amended complaint occurred afterward, all in March 2025.

"Without diminishing any concern arising from these occurrences," Stearns wrote, the incidents were "too isolated and episodic" to support a finding that "any institutionalized noncompliance with Title VI persists at Harvard to this day."

The timing was particularly important because Title VI requires the government to notify a recipient of federal funds of its alleged noncompliance and determine that voluntary compliance cannot be secured before seeking judicial enforcement. The government sent Harvard that notice on June 30, 2025, but the amended complaint did not allege violations occurring after that date. Stearns said the administration's interpretation of the law would effectively turn Title VI into a mechanism for punishing schools rather than bringing them into compliance.

Stearns did not rule that the earlier allegations of antisemitic harassment were false. His dismissal turned on whether the government had sufficiently alleged an ongoing violation that could support relief under Title VI.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the Justice Department disagreed with Stearns' ruling and was considering its next steps. "The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division is actively investigating antisemitism nationwide," Dhillon said, noting that the department has an "extensive and active portfolio" of antisemitism enforcement cases.