Judge tosses Trump administration’s antisemitism lawsuit against Harvard University

A lawsuit brought by the Trump administration alleging that Harvard University ignored the harassment of Jewish students was tossed out by a federal judge in Boston on Thursday.

U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns ruled that President Donald Trump‘s administration did not establish a continuous breach of federal civil rights statutes.

According to the ruling, the legal challenge lodged in March primarily highlighted occurrences during the 2023-24 school year alongside a small number from March 2025.

Stearns noted that the cited events were “too isolated and episodic” to demonstrate an ongoing civil rights infraction at the Ivy League campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

“We disagree with the ruling and are assessing next steps,” stated Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Department of Justice.

A statement from Harvard was not immediately available following the judgment.

The legal complaint had claimed Harvard failed to adequately shield Jewish students amid pro-Palestinian protests following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel. Administration officials asserted university leaders remained passive while Jewish students were “harassed, physically assaulted, stalked, and spat upon.”

Responding after the initial filing, Harvard maintained that it “cares deeply about members of our Jewish and Israeli community and remains committed to ensuring they are embraced, respected, and can thrive on our campus.”

Harvard President Alan M. Garber highlighted measures taken by the school, including the creation of an antisemitism task force. Garber noted that the university appointed a new provost and deans while overhauling disciplinary procedures to render them “more consistent, fair and effective.”

Through the lawsuit, federal prosecutors intended to reclaim billions in research grant money disbursed to Harvard from October 2023 onward. Officials under Trump maintained that Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination grounded in national origin or race, justified retrieving the funds.

The complaint represents one component of a broader federal push targeting Harvard after the institution rejected executive demands issued when Trump, a Republican, resumed office last year. Additional efforts by administration figures have focused on trimming research grants and restricting the university’s enrollment of international students and American service members.

In a separate legal case last year, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to reverse more than $2.6 billion in federal funding cuts to Harvard. That decision found that the White House put unconstitutional conditions on federal funding, using antisemitism as a “smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault” on universities.

Although locked in a hostile legal standoff, Harvard and federal officials previously engaged in discussions, with Trump personally remarking that both parties were near a settlement. However, the Justice Department’s decision to pursue a civil rights suit in March underlined a severe breakdown in talks, as universities cited for civil rights noncompliance typically achieve resolution via voluntary settlements.