A new chapter in the battle that Donald Trump has waged since the beginning of his second term against one of the most prestigious universities in the world and the oldest in America.
A Boston judge dismissed the administration's anti-Semitism lawsuit against Harvard last March. In his ruling, Richard Stearns stated that there was no plausible evidence that federal civil rights laws for Jewish students on campus were violated, and that the anti-Semitic incidents were "isolated and episodic."
The lawsuit , the latest in a long series, is part of a broader pressure campaign aimed at forcing the University of Massachusetts to comply with several White House demands , concerning not only its handling of anti-Semitism but also racial policies in admissions and other issues related to so-called 'woke' culture.
In this complaint in particular , Trump accused the university of "turning a blind eye to anti-Semitism and discrimination against Jews and Israelis" during and after the protests against the war in Gaza, and of allowing anti-Israel protesters to violate internal regulations "with impunity." Specifically, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination in programs receiving federal funds.
“ Harvard condemns anti-Semitism and is committed to ensuring that Jewish and Israeli students, like all members of the community, can study and participate fully in campus life without harassment or exclusion,” the college responded.
The judge also ruled that the Justice Department could not pursue a claim for damages because the law requires the administration to first send the college a formal notice of violations.
The lawsuit marked a new escalation in the conflict between the government and the prestigious Ivy League college.
PRECEDENTS – After the 2024 pro-PAL protests, the White House sent an official letter to Harvard questioning the safety of Jewish students and demanding radical structural reforms by the summer, including the abolition of diversity programs and changes to admissions criteria. Following the college's refusal, on April 14 last year, the administration immediately froze $2.2 billion in multi-year federal research grants. A month later, the Department of Homeland Security threatened to revoke international students' visas, prompting the college to file its first legal challenges alleging unconstitutional retaliation and thus moving the dispute to the courts. Since then, a series of rulings and appeals have followed.
In September, a federal judge ruled that the freeze on funds was largely unlawful and ordered their restoration. The Trump administration appealed, and the case is ongoing. The dispute over the foreign students' case is also ongoing.
In June 2025, a federal judge ruled in favor of Harvard, and the government again appealed.
(Unioneonline)