The Justice Division has filed a lawsuit in opposition to Harvard College, accusing the varsity of withholding admissions knowledge that the federal government says it wants to find out whether or not the college is discriminating on the premise of race.
That is the latest of the Trump administration’s actions in opposition to Harvard. It comes months after the federal government tried to cut all federal funding to the college and tried to block its ability to enroll worldwide college students over its dealing with of protests on campus. Federal judges blocked each efforts however the Trump administration has appealed the funding determination.
The lawsuit, filed in Massachusetts District Court docket on Thursday, alleges that Harvard is “not complying with a federal investigation,” the lawsuit mentioned.
Athletes row beneath the John W. Weeks Footbridge passing Harvard College campus on the Charles River on October 18, 2025 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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The division alleges that Harvard “slow-walked the tempo of manufacturing and refused to supply pertinent paperwork referring to applicant-level admissions selections,” in keeping with the lawsuit.
The DOJ is in search of paperwork “together with individualized applicant admissions knowledge, admissions insurance policies, and correspondence associated to race; ethnicity; variety, fairness, and inclusion; and College students for Honest Admissions,” the division mentioned in a press release Friday.
A Harvard signal is seen on the Harvard College campus in Boston, Massachusetts, Could 27, 2025.
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“Underneath President Trump’s management, this Division of Justice is demanding higher from our nation’s instructional establishments,” Lawyer Basic Pamela Bondi mentioned in a press release Friday. “Harvard has didn’t disclose the info we have to be certain that its admissions are freed from discrimination — we’ll proceed preventing to place advantage over DEI throughout America.”
The DOJ is alleging Harvard has didn’t adjust to its request for ample doc manufacturing for compliance evaluation, and due to this fact “breached” a time period of the federal government’s federal monetary help.
Amongst its requests of Harvard on the heart of the swimsuit, the DOJ requested that Harvard certify that it “‘doesn’t use race as a think about making admissions selections’ or ‘in awarding any scholarships, monetary help, or different advantages to present or potential college students,'” the lawsuit mentioned, citing a letter despatched by the DOJ to Harvard final 12 months.
Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi delivers remarks on an arrest linked to the 2012 U.S. Embassy assault in Benghazi, on the Division of Justice, February 6, 2026 in Washington.
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The DOJ additionally requested Harvard to provide paperwork supporting this certification together with “any and all related paperwork guiding your admissions insurance policies and procedures” and “all admissions knowledge for the previous 5 educational years, together with applicant take a look at scores (SAT/ACT), GPA, extracurricular actions, essays, and admission outcomes, disaggregated by race and ethnicity,” the swimsuit mentioned, citing the letter despatched to Harvard.
In response to the request from the DOJ that was despatched final 12 months, Harvard produced a whole bunch of paperwork, however the DOJ alleges it failed to provide “applicant-level admissions knowledge and paperwork,” solely producing “aggregated admissions knowledge,” in keeping with the lawsuit.
The federal government additionally alleged that it requested correspondence associated to race, ethnicity and DEI, however Harvard failed to provide it, in keeping with the swimsuit.
Individuals take photographs close to a John Harvard statue on the Harvard College campus, Jan. 2, 2024, in Cambridge, Mass.
Steven Senne/AP
The DOJ mentioned it brings this “civil motion solely to compel Harvard to provide paperwork referring to any consideration of race in admission. On this swimsuit, the US doesn’t accuse Harvard of any discriminatory conduct, nor does it search financial damages or the revocation of federal funding,” in keeping with the lawsuit.
The division is asking a federal decide to “declare that Harvard has violated Title VI,” order the college to provide the requested paperwork, and order Harvard to adjust to all future paperwork requests from the federal government beneath Title VI and federal anti-discrimination legal guidelines.
Representatives for Harvard College didn’t instantly reply to ABC Information’ request for remark.
Harvard has beforehand condemned the administration’s actions in opposition to it as “unprecedented” and “retaliatory,” claiming the administration “has an illegal anti-Harvard coverage,” in keeping with statements and arguments made in court docket.
