Court rules no institutional antisemitism at Harvard: "isolated incidents"

A federal court in Boston rejected on Thursday the lawsuit filed by the Donald Trump administration against Harvard University, ruling that insufficient evidence was presented that the university currently violates civil rights laws or suffers from institutional discrimination.

Federal Judge Richard G. Stearns ruled that the incidents upon which the lawsuit was based, primarily allegations of antisemitism on campus following the Hamas attack on October 7, are insufficient to prove that Harvard continues to allow institutional discrimination today.

"The incidents, individually and collectively, are too isolated and sporadic to support a reasonable inference that there is institutional noncompliance" with the law at Harvard today, Stearns wrote.

US law prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in programs receiving federal funding.

The lawsuit was part of the struggle being waged by the Donald Trump administration against Harvard, with the goal of changing the university's policy. The administration claimed that the institution failed to protect Jewish and Israeli students from hostility and harassment on campus, and also raised allegations regarding discrimination in student admissions and the infringement of freedom of discussion.

The lawsuit was filed in March, and the administration demanded the return of millions of dollars in taxpayer money that Harvard received, claiming that the university violated civil rights laws. According to the complaint, Harvard showed "deliberate indifference" toward Jewish and Israeli students who suffered for years from harassment, including physical assaults, stalking, and spitting.

The administration further claimed that Jewish students were forced to hide their kippahs under baseball caps or avoid certain areas on campus, thereby effectively being denied full access to educational opportunities funded by the federal government.

The struggle between the Donald Trump administration and Harvard began in early 2025, when the administration froze 2.2 billion dollars in federal research grants to the university, claiming it was not properly addressing antisemitism on campus. Subsequently, the administration threatened to strip Harvard of its tax-exempt status, acted to limit its ability to accept foreign students, and examined donations it received from sources outside the USA.

Harvard, for its part, argued that the administration's measures violate its rights under the First Amendment and its academic freedom, and filed a lawsuit against the administration. Last year, a federal court ruled that the cut in university funding is unconstitutional and ordered the funds to be returned. The administration appealed the decision in December.