BOSTON — A federal judge has dismissed the Trump administration’s lawsuit accusing Harvard University of failing to protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment, ruling that the government had not plausibly demonstrated an ongoing violation of federal civil rights law.
U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns in Boston ruled that incidents cited by the administration, including allegations arising from campus protests following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, were too isolated and episodic to establish a continuing violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, according to the ruling and reports on the decision.
The Justice Department filed the lawsuit in March, alleging that Harvard had failed to protect Jewish and Israeli students from antisemitic harassment and other misconduct. The government sought remedies that included recovery of federal funding previously awarded to the university.
Harvard had asked Stearns to dismiss the case, arguing that the administration had failed to show a continuing Title VI violation and that its claims relied on outdated incidents.
The ruling marks a setback for the Trump administration in its broader confrontation with Harvard over antisemitism, federal funding and university policies. Harvard has separately prevailed in litigation challenging the administration’s efforts to cut billions of dollars in federal research funding.
The latest case has been dismissed; further legal action by the administration was not immediately confirmed.
