The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Harvard University on Friday, alleging that the university had illegally withheld admissions data requested in relation to a federal civil rights compliance investigation based on race in admissions. The Civil Rights Division filed the lawsuit against Harvard University on Feb. 13, which represents a new escalation in the Trump administration’s campaign against the Ivy League school, according to a Justice Department announcement.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement announcing the lawsuit, “We are asking for information that we deem necessary to determine whether these admissions decisions are ‘free of discrimination,’ and we will continue to ‘put merit over DEI across America,’ as stated in the official announcement. Harmeet K. Dhillon, head of the Civil Rights Division, said, “It is unacceptable to not provide this information to have a legitimate and fair process. If they had ended discriminatory practices, they would want to share this information to prove it.”
According to the Justice Department, Harvard University had “slow-walked” production of documents requested by federal investigators and had refused to provide some of the information requested. The information requested includes individual student admissions data, admissions policies, and documents related to race, ethnicity, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the Supreme Court’s Students for Fair Admissions case.
The controversy began with the Supreme Court’s decision in 2023 on the Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College case, which limited the consideration of race in college admissions. Federal officials have stated that the information is necessary for determining whether Harvard continues to discriminate in its admissions practices following the Supreme Court’s decision.
The department also alleges that Harvard is a recipient of DOJ funding and that, under Title VI, the school has failed to comply with document requests related to its compliance review. The lawsuit also alleges that Harvard has failed to meet a material condition of its federal financial assistance by failing to provide applicant-level admissions data or access to that data. The department has posted the complaint.
Significantly, the Justice Department has stated that the lawsuit is intended solely to compel Harvard to produce documents related to the consideration of race in admissions and that there is no charge of racial discrimination.
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