The Trump administration on March 20 sued Harvard University, accusing the school of allowing anti-Semitic discrimination and demonstrations.
The filing points to how Jewish students have said they were denied access to educational facilities by demonstrators, concealed yarmulkes, and took other actions to avoid harassment and physical assaults. It alleges Harvard has not enforced its rules or disciplined individuals who terrorized students.
The Civil Rights Act bars federally funded programs from discriminating on the basis of race or national origin.
The administration is seeking a ruling declaring Harvard discriminated against Jewish students, ordering the university to take steps to rectify the discrimination, and rescinding billions of dollars in grants made to Harvard in recent years.
Officials also want an independent monitor appointed to oversee Harvard's efforts to comply with the desired ruling.
“Too many of our educational institutions have allowed anti-Semitism to flourish on campus—Harvard included,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. “Today’s litigation underscores the Trump Administration’s commitment to demanding better from our nation’s schools and putting an end to discriminatory behavior that harms students.”
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. added: "When institutions take taxpayer dollars, they accept a duty to protect civil rights. We hold Harvard accountable on the principle that antisemitism has no place in any program funded by the American people.”
Harvard did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.
The government in 2025 froze $2.2 billion in federal money to the university after the school declined conditions the administration set forth to avoid a freeze.
"Defendants and the President are right to combat antisemitism and to use all lawful means to do so. Harvard was wrong to tolerate hateful behavior for as long as it did," Burroughs wrote at the time.
"The record here, however, does not reflect that fighting antisemitism was Defendants’ true aim in acting against Harvard and, even if it were, combatting antisemitism cannot be accomplished on the back of the First Amendment."