A federal judge in Boston has dismissed a lawsuit brought by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump against Harvard University, rejecting claims that the institution failed to adequately protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment.
U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns ruled Thursday that the government had not plausibly demonstrated an ongoing violation of federal civil rights law at the university.
Allegations Centered on Gaza War Protests
The lawsuit, filed by the Trump administration in March, largely relied on incidents reported during campus protests surrounding Israel’s war in Gaza throughout the 2023/24 academic year.
Stearns noted that the government pointed to only a small number of additional incidents that allegedly occurred in March 2025.
In his assessment, those events were too limited and isolated to establish a continuing pattern of civil rights violations.
Title VI Claims Questioned by Court
The administration had also argued that Harvard failed to address discrimination after federal officials notified the university in June 2025 that it was not complying with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Title VI prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin in programs and institutions that receive federal funding.
Stearns concluded that the government’s complaint did not sufficiently establish that Harvard had continued to violate the law or failed to take appropriate measures after receiving the federal warning.
Harvard and White House Yet to Comment
The ruling represents a setback for the Trump administration’s efforts to pressure Harvard over its handling of allegations involving antisemitism and harassment on campus.
Neither the White House nor Harvard University immediately responded to requests for comment on the decision.
Protests Remain at Center of Dispute
The case stems from a broader conflict over how universities responded to protests and tensions linked to the war in Gaza.
Demonstrations at Harvard and other U.S. campuses during the 2023/24 academic year prompted intense scrutiny over allegations of antisemitism, discrimination and threats against Jewish and Israeli students, alongside concerns about the treatment of pro-Palestinian protesters.
Stearns’ ruling focused narrowly on whether the government’s allegations were sufficient to establish an ongoing violation of federal civil rights law, ultimately finding that they fell short of that legal threshold.
