Federal Judge Dismisses Trump Administration’s Lawsuit, Allowing Harvard to Evade Accountability for Antisemitic Harassment
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
A Boston federal judge has dismissed the Trump administration’s lawsuit against Harvard University, ruling that the university’s failure to protect Jewish students did not amount to a civil-rights violation, despite mounting concerns over antisemitism on campus.
A U.S. District Court in Boston has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration that accused Harvard University of turning a blind eye to harassment of Jewish students on campus. Judge Richard G. Stearns ruled that the government did not provide enough evidence of a continuous violation of federal civil-rights law, claiming that the incidents were 'too isolated and episodic' to show a persistent pattern. This decision is yet another example of the judiciary shielding elite institutions from accountability, even as antisemitism festers in America’s universities.
'We disagree with the ruling and are assessing next steps,' said Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Department of Justice, reflecting the administration’s commitment to defending Jewish students where universities have failed.
Harvard, which has repeatedly dodged responsibility for campus hostility toward Jewish and Israeli students, did not immediately comment. The university’s previous statements about caring for its Jewish community ring hollow, as real action has been slow and insufficient. President Alan M. Garber pointed to the creation of a task force on antisemitism, new leadership, and revised disciplinary policies, but these measures have done little to address the root problems or reassure concerned families.
The lawsuit sought to recover billions of dollars in federal research grants awarded to Harvard since October 2023, invoking Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. It is part of a broader effort by the administration to hold elite universities accountable after Harvard refused to comply with reasonable demands from the White House. Earlier, a federal judge ordered the administration to reverse over $2.6 billion in funding cuts, a move that critics say enables universities to continue their ideological indoctrination under the guise of academic freedom, while ignoring the real threats facing Jewish students.