Judge Dismisses Trump Lawsuit Against Harvard

A US federal judge on Thursday dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit accusing Harvard University of failing to protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment. US District Judge Richard Stearns ruled that the government had not plausibly shown an ongoing violation of federal civil rights law on Harvard’s campus.

Stearns said the government’s allegations focused largely on incidents during protests over the war in Gaza in the 2023–24 academic year. Only a handful of later incidents were alleged, which he described as “too isolated and episodic” to support a claim of ongoing civil rights violations.

The lawsuit was part of a broader dispute between the Trump administration and Harvard, with the government seeking to recover billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies. The administration alleged that Harvard faculty and leadership had turned a blind eye to antisemitism and discrimination against Jews and Israelis.

Harvard denied the allegations and previously described the lawsuit as retaliation by the administration for the university’s refusal to turn over control to the federal government. It has said it condemns antisemitism and is committed to ensuring that Jewish and Israeli students can participate fully in campus life free from harassment or exclusion.

The ruling marks another legal setback for the Trump administration in its dispute with Harvard. A judge previously found that the administration unlawfully terminated more than $2bn in grants to the university and barred it from cutting off its research funding, a ruling the administration has appealed. Another federal judge blocked its efforts to revoke Harvard’s ability to enroll international students.

(Reuters, Max)