Judge Dismisses Trump Administration Lawsuit Alleging Harvard Failed Jewish Students

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit on Thursday by US President Donald Trump's administration alleging Harvard University failed to protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment.

US District Judge Richard Stearns in Boston ruled the lawsuit, filed in March, had not plausibly shown an ongoing violation of federal civil rights law on Harvard's campus. The government's allegations focused largely on incidents amid protests over Israel's war in Gaza during the 2023/24 school year. Only three incidents were alleged in March 2025, which Stearns found too isolated and episodic to support a claim of ongoing civil rights violations.

The lawsuit did not adequately allege failures by the university after the government told Harvard in June 2025 it was not complying with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VI bans discrimination based on race, color, and national origin in programs receiving federal funding. The Department of Justice's complaint stated Harvard faculty and leadership turned a blind eye to antisemitism and discrimination against Jews and Israelis.

It cited Harvard allowing anti-Israeli demonstrators to occupy libraries and an encampment to persist for twenty days. President Trump has launched a campaign against major American universities. His administration separately moved to freeze billions of dollars of funding for Harvard, a move a federal judge ruled largely unlawful last September, ordering funds restored. The Justice Department had sought to recover nearly $1 billion in federal grants and install a government-approved independent monitor. Harvard and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.