A federal judge in Boston has tossed out a high-profile civil rights lawsuit filed by the Trump administration against Harvard University, reports Associated Press. The suit accused the Ivy League institution of failing to protect Jewish students from antisemitic harassment following the October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.
However, U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns ruled that the incidents cited were “too isolated and episodic” to prove an ongoing, systemic violation of federal civil rights laws.
Critics of the ruling argue the court missed the mark. Joel Griffith, policy analyst with Advancing American Freedom (AAF), says the decision overlooks a pattern of repeated behavior on campus.
“On a review of the dismissal by the judge of the Trump administration civil rights lawsuit against Harvard, I think tossing this lawsuit was a mistake by the court,” Griffith states.
The Department of Justice sought to recoup billions of dollars in federal research grants awarded to Harvard under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race or national origin.
While speech itself is protected under the First Amendment, Griffith emphasizes that the legal challenge stems from how safety and campus regulations were enforced during pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
“Colleges and universities are required to enforce the law equally and not show preferential treatment towards one race, one ethnic group, one religious group over another,” Griffith says.
Stearns concluded that the Justice Department failed to prove persistent civil rights violations. But Griffith rejects the court's characterization that the incidents were rare or disconnected.
“And the judge in this case was wrong to toss out the case by claiming that these activities were, in his words, ‘too isolated and episodic.’ These are not isolated activities. These activities, particularly at Harvard University, were occurring on a weekly basis,” Griffith states. “They were continuing for weeks on end, and universities did virtually nothing to get that criminal activity under control.”
For its part, Harvard maintains that it cares deeply about its Jewish and Israeli community. University President Alan Garber pointed to internal reforms, including a dedicated task force to combat antisemitism, updated discipline policies and new leadership appointments.
