Judge dismisses Trump administration’s antisemitism case against Harvard

A US judge dismissed an antisemitism lawsuit against Harvard University on Thursday by the administration of US President Donald Trump, marking a setback for the government’s effort to pressure the school to comply with its demands.

Judge Richard G. Stearns of the US District Court in Massachusetts granted Harvard’s motion to dismiss, ruling that antisemitic incidents cited in the March lawsuit were “too isolated and episodic” to establish that the university was violating federal law.

The Trump administration had accused Harvard of turning “a blind eye to antisemitism and discrimination against Jews and Israelis” and allowing anti-Israel protesters to violate school rules “with impunity” after the war in the Gaza Strip began in 2023.

It alleged violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination in federally funded programs.

Harvard argued that it had “engaged in sustained, institution-wide efforts to identify and address antisemitism on campus.”

Stearns said the lawsuit largely focused on incidents during the 2023-2024 academic year and did not support “a plausible inference that any institutionalized noncompliance with Title VI persists at Harvard to this day.”

The administration had sought the ability to cut off Harvard’s federal grants, but Stearns said the law was intended to bring schools into compliance, not punish them.

Other Trump-Harvard legal battles remain, including disputes about frozen federal grants, and the administration’s attempt to restrict Harvard’s international students.

More than 10,000 Harvard alumni filed a brief in July supporting the university, arguing that “universities like Harvard can only manifest their mission, values, and foundational principles if they can operate with academic freedom.”