Judge Dismisses Trump Lawsuit Against Harvard

A US federal judge has dismissed the Trump administration’s lawsuit against Harvard University over allegations that the institution failed to address antisemitism.

US District Judge Richard G. Stearns issued the ruling in Thursday court filings. The US Justice Department filed the case in March, seeking to freeze Harvard’s federal grants and recover funds already distributed.

The administration argued that Harvard had violated civil rights law by failing to respond adequately to antisemitism on campus. However, Stearns said the government had not provided enough evidence to establish such violations, describing the evidence as “too isolated and episodic.”

The government issued its notification of noncompliance on 30 June 2025, but most incidents cited in the lawsuit occurred during the 2023-2024 academic year. Only three incidents happened after the case was filed.

Stearns also ruled that the government could not pursue financial damages. He rejected concerns that his decision would create the “havoc” the administration had warned about.

“If comfort is needed, the court’s ruling does not have as broad an impact as the Government asserts,” Stearns said.

Harvard University had previously asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that the administration had overlooked the university’s own efforts to tackle antisemitism. Its lawyers said the government had failed to show that Harvard continued to create a hostile environment for Jewish or Israeli students or acted with deliberate indifference.

Harvard described the lawsuit as part of what its lawyers called the government’s campaign of retaliation against the university for refusing to accept its demands and exercising its First Amendment rights.

The legal dispute is part of a wider confrontation between Harvard and the Trump administration that began in April 2025, when the government threatened to cut $9 billion in funding unless the university accepted demands covering leadership, admissions and hiring.

The conflict intensified after pro-Palestinian protests and encampments followed the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. Harvard later published reports documenting discrimination and hate involving anti-Israeli, anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian bias.

The administration has also pursued other legal action involving Harvard, including cases over international students and race-related admissions data.

Could this ruling significantly change the wider legal battle between Harvard and the Trump administration?