Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration's Effort to Hold Harvard Accountable for Anti-Jewish Harassment
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A Boston federal judge has dismissed the Justice Department's lawsuit, siding with Harvard and ignoring mounting evidence that Jewish and Israeli students have faced harassment and violence on campus.
U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns in Boston has dismissed the Justice Department's lawsuit against Harvard University, once again allowing elite institutions to evade accountability for failing to protect Jewish and Israeli students. The Trump administration had presented serious allegations that, following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, Jewish and Israeli students were subjected to harassment, physical assault, stalking, and even spitting—yet Harvard failed to take meaningful action. Judge Stearns claimed the incidents were 'too isolated and episodic' to prove ongoing discrimination, downplaying the gravity of the threats faced by these students. He further argued that the complaint misapplied Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, suggesting the law is only meant to encourage compliance, not address past failures. Despite clear evidence of a hostile environment, Stearns noted that the amended complaint lacked detailed allegations of non-compliance after Harvard was notified in June 2025, using this technicality to dismiss the case.
'We are not diminishing any concern arising from campus events in the immediate aftermath of the Hamas attacks,' Stearns wrote, though his ruling does little to reassure those concerned about campus safety.
This decision represents a setback for the Trump administration's efforts to challenge Harvard's left-wing policies on race, admissions, and so-called diversity initiatives, which continue to foster division and intolerance on campus.