Department of Justice Sues Harvard University
WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against Harvard University, accusing it of hiding documents that would clarify whether the institution continues to discriminate based on race in its admissions process.
This legal action comes nearly three years after the U.S. Supreme Court concluded that Harvard was violating federal civil rights laws by using “racial balancing” to limit the number of Asian American students admitted to the school.
The lawsuit, submitted on Friday in a Massachusetts federal court, claims that Harvard has persistently obstructed the Department of Justice’s investigation into potential discrimination.
According to the 14-page filing, “They slowed the pace of production and refused to provide relevant documentation regarding applicant-level admissions decisions.” It also stated that the last time Harvard completed admissions-related paperwork was in May 2025, and deadlines for submitting such paperwork have come and gone.
A representative from Harvard University has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon, from the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, stated that the department will not permit universities to disregard federal civil rights laws by failing to supply necessary information for review. “Providing requested data is a fundamental expectation of any reliable compliance process,” she added. If Harvard has indeed stopped discrimination, it should be open to sharing data to demonstrate that.
In a significant 2023 ruling, Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard University, the Supreme Court emphasized that eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all forms of it.
The Department of Justice began investigating Harvard in April 2025 to ensure that its admissions processes aligned with the Supreme Court’s ruling and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1965.
While the lawsuit does not explicitly accuse Harvard of discrimination nor seeks monetary damages or the revocation of federal funding, former President Trump recently suggested imposing fines up to $1 billion on Harvard to settle an ongoing federal investigation.
Trump mentioned on his Truth Social platform that a vocational training proposal from Harvard was rejected as inadequate, stating, “This is just a way for Harvard to escape a large cash settlement of more than $500 million.” He previously indicated that part of the settlement should go to trade school operators in exchange for unfreezing research funding.
A federal judge in Boston had previously ruled that the Trump administration engaged in “unacceptable retaliation” against Harvard for not complying with government demands and withholding federal funds.
Trump, the Justice Department, and the U.S. Department of Education have all pressured Harvard to address anti-Semitism on campus and to reconsider its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programming in admissions.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi remarked that under Trump’s leadership, the Justice Department is pushing educational institutions to improve. She reiterated that Harvard is not providing the necessary data to ensure discrimination-free admissions and that the fight for DEI across the country would continue.
U.S. District Judge Alison Burrows earlier noted that the university was “plagued by anti-Semitism,” and the Trump administration appealed this ruling in December of the previous year.
