Judge dismisses DOJ suit against Harvard for alleged anti-Semitism

Aug. 13 (UPI) — A federal judge dismissed the anti-Semitism lawsuit against Harvard University filed by the Department of Justice earlier this year.

U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns ruled the incidents alleged by the government didn’t fit a violation of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

“Without diminishing any concern arising from these occurrences, the court finds them, singly and collectively, to be too isolated and episodic to support a plausible inference that any institutionalized noncompliance with Title VI persists at Harvard to this day,” Stearns wrote.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the administration disagrees with the ruling.”The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is actively investigating anti-Semitism nationwide. The Civil Rights Division has an extensive and active portfolio of anti-Semitism enforcement, including indictments, prosecutions, settlements and investigations across the country,” she said in a statement.

The Justice Department filed the suit in March, saying the university allowed a “hostile education environment” for Jewish students who were physically blockaulted and harblocked.

The case stems from pro-Palestinian activism on campus during the Israel-Hamas war, which the Justice Department alleged the institution “rewarded.” It said the university allowed the protesters to block access to clblockrooms and caused Jewish students to hide their yarmulkes under baseball caps.

Stearns didn’t rule on Harvard’s argument that the lawsuit is a retaliation and violates the First Amendment. He also found that the Justice Department couldn’t claim damages because the law says that the administration must give a formal warning to the school. It did send a notice in June 2025, but the lawsuit focused on events that happened before that notice.

The administration has battled with Harvard and other universities to force them to eliminate diversity and inclusion programs.

This is the latest event in an ongoing battle between the federal government and the Ivy League school.

In February, the Justice Department sued Harvard for failing to hand over admissions do***ents for an investigation about whether the admission process discriminates against white people. Earlier in February, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that the Pentagon would end its academic partnership with Harvard over what he called a “woke” institution that is not welcoming to the U.S. military.

On Feb. 3, Trump said he was now seeking $1 billion in damages from Harvard but didn’t explain why.

“We are now seeking One Billion Dollars in damages, and want nothing further to do, into the future, with Harvard University,” Trump said on Truth Social.

On Dec. 19, the administration filed an appeal against a judge who blocked his order to cut funding by $2 billion.