By Sadie Gurman and Douglas Belkin
The Trump administration is suing Harvard University, alleging the school violated Jewish students' civil rights in the latest escalation of the government's year-long campaign against the Ivy League school.
The suit alleges Harvard failed to protect its Jewish and Israeli students by ignoring hostility on campus and refusing to enforce anti-harassment rules. The suit, being filed Friday in federal district court in Massachusetts, seeks to compel the school to comply with civil-rights law and recover millions of taxpayer dollars that Harvard accepted while allegedly in violation of the law.
Harvard is currently set to receive more than $2.6 billion in grants from the Department of Health and Human Services among other federal agencies, according to the lawsuit.
Since Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023 assault on Israeli civilians, "too many of our educational institutions have allowed anti-Semitism to flourish on campus, Harvard included," Attorney General Pam Bondi said.
Harvard didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. It has previously said it has devoted considerable efforts to addressing antisemitism on its campus, including strengthening rules and discipline against those who violate them.
The lawsuit is the latest tactic in the Trump administration's battle against Harvard and other elite universities. The administration froze $2.2 billion in federal research grants to Harvard last spring over allegations that the school tolerated antisemitism on campus. Since then, the administration has threatened its tax-exempt status, targeted its ability to enroll international students and probed its acceptance of foreign donations.
Harvard sued the administration and won a key court battle in September last year. A federal judge ruled that President Trump's funding cuts were unconstitutional and ordered the money restored. In December, the Trump administration filed an appeal. Harvard has said it remains confident in its legal position.
Harvard remains deeply dependent on federal funding, and Trump has many levers he can pull to damage the university.
In February, Trump posted on social media he would seek $1 billion in damages from the school. A few days later the Defense Department severed academic ties with Harvard, and the Justice Department then sued Harvard for allegedly failing to produce admissions documents it said it needed in an investigation into whether the school discriminates against white applicants.
Write to Sadie Gurman at sadie.gurman@wsj.com and Douglas Belkin at Doug.Belkin@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 20, 2026 09:50 ET (13:50 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
