US Court Throws Out Trump Administration's Harvard Antisemitism Suit

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration that accused Harvard University of failing to protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment on campus.

US District Judge Richard Stearns, sitting in Boston, ruled on Thursday that the government's complaint, filed in March, did not plausibly demonstrate an ongoing violation of federal civil rights law at the university.

The judge noted that the administration's allegations centered largely on incidents that occurred during the 2023/24 academic year, amid protests related to Israel's military campaign in Gaza. Only a handful of later incidents, alleged in March 2025, were cited, which Stearns described as "too isolated and episodic" to support a claim of persistent civil rights breaches.

Stearns also found that the lawsuit failed to adequately allege that Harvard had not addressed concerns after the government informed the university in June 2025 that it was not in compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That law prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in programs receiving federal funding.

Neither the White House nor Harvard immediately responded to requests for comment on the ruling.