Judge throws out Trump lawsuit accusing Harvard of antisemitism
What's next: The administration is weighing an appeal as its broader fight over Harvard funding and campus policy continues.
A federal judge in Boston dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit accusing Harvard University of violating civil rights law by failing to protect Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests. U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns ruled Aug. 13 that the government did not show an ongoing Title VI violation, finding the incidents cited were “too isolated and episodic.” The Justice Department sued Harvard in March, seeking to recover billions of dollars in federal research grants awarded since October 2023. The case centered on campus unrest after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and the war in Gaza. The administration has separately tried to cut Harvard’s funding and curb its enrollment of foreign students and U.S. military members.