Trump DOJ Sues Harvard University For Failing To Produce Admission Information

CAMBRIDGE, MA — The United States Justice Department announced Friday that it has filed a lawsuit against Harvard University, accusing the school of withholding admissions information from the federal government.

President Donald Trump and Harvard have been engaged in an ideological and legal feud since Trump first took office for his second term. Last April, the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion of multi-year federal grants and contracts for Harvard University after the school refused to follow a list of demands. The demands included having Harvard closing its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, implementing a mask ban and adopting merit-based admissions and hiring policies. One month later, the administration banned Harvard from enrolling international students until U.S. District Court Judge Allison Burroughs eventually blocked the president from doing so, calling it a violation of the institution's constitutional rights.

The lawsuit alleges that Harvard deliberately released pertinent data and documents requested by the DOJ at a slow pace, including individualized applicant admissions data, admissions policies, and correspondence related to race, ethnicity, diversity, equity, and inclusion. The suit also says that by failing to make timely and complete document productions or not permitting the DOJ to access Harvard’s applicant-level admissions data, Harvard is breaching a material term of DOJ federal financial assistance.

Attorney General Pam Bondi alluded to the possibility of Harvard’s admissions practices as “discriminatory” and said that it prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion above merit.

“The Justice Department will not allow universities to flout our nation’s federal civil rights laws by refusing to provide the information required for our review,” Assistant Attorney of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division General Harmeet K. Dhillon said. “Providing requested data is a basic expectation of any credible compliance process, and refusal to cooperate creates concerns about university practices.”

The DOJ claims it filed the lawsuit solely to compel Harvard to produce admissions documents related to race.

Harvard responded to the lawsuit on Friday, calling it retaliatory and saying the school has always complied with the law and will continue to do so.

"Harvard has been responding to the government’s inquiries in good faith and continues to be willing to engage with the government according to the process required by law," Harvard told Patch. “The University will continue to defend itself against these retaliatory actions, which have been initiated simply because Harvard refused to surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights in response to unlawful government overreach."

See Also:

Jewish Organizations Sue Medford Over Financial Divestment Ordinance

Progressive Political Group Forms In Brookline

Immigration Court Stops Government From Deporting Tufts Student Rumesya Ozturk

Cambridge Men Arrested On Illegal Firearm Charges