The Trump administration has launched a new legal offensive against Harvard University and the University of California, Los Angeles, filing federal lawsuits and opening civil rights investigations centered on allegations of rampant antisemitism on both campuses. This represents a significant escalation in the administration's ongoing campaign against elite universities that have resisted its policy demands.
Legal Assault on Harvard
The Justice Department lawsuit against Harvard, filed last week, accuses the university of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by failing to protect Jewish students since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023. The administration alleges Jewish students faced physical assault, harassment, and stalking, while some faculty members openly supported pro-Palestinian encampments. The suit seeks to halt federal grants to Harvard and demands repayment of funds disbursed since the alleged violations began.
"Harvard has proven that they're both unable and unwilling to reach any type of meaningful reform," said Shabbos Kestenbaum, a recent graduate who sued Harvard over antisemitism and now works with conservative group PragerU. "I'd certainly encourage the Trump administration, both publicly and privately, to cut funding entirely."
Harvard responded forcefully, with a spokesperson calling the lawsuit "yet another pretextual and retaliatory action by the administration for refusing to turn over control of Harvard to the federal government." The university's stance reflects broader tensions between the administration and institutions it perceives as resistant to its agenda, a dynamic also visible in recent clashes over Department of Homeland Security funding.
Expanding Investigations
Separately on Monday, the Education Department launched two new civil rights investigations against Harvard. One examines whether the university failed to provide admissions data to federal authorities, while another probes potential continued use of affirmative action in admissions despite the Supreme Court's 2023 ban on the practice.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon stated, "Harvard University should know better. Its name will always be tied to the landmark Supreme Court case that found sweeping racial discrimination in admissions and the campus has been in the spotlight for tolerating egregious antisemitic harassment for years now. OCR will investigate these complaints thoroughly."
President Trump personally intensified the conflict last month, reacting to reports his administration was backing away from financial demands against Harvard. "Strongly Antisemitic Harvard University has been feeding a lot of 'nonsense' to The Failing New York Times," he posted on social media. "We are now seeking One Billion Dollars in damages, and want nothing further to do, into the future, with Harvard University."
Parallel Action Against UCLA
The Harvard lawsuit follows similar action against UCLA filed last month. That Justice Department suit alleges the university created a hostile environment for Jewish faculty members, failing to protect them from assault and maintaining a discriminatory workplace. The administration seeks unspecified damages for affected employees and court enforcement of antidiscrimination policies.
Both universities previously resisted administration pressure after Trump moved to cut federal funding—approximately $2 billion from Harvard and $500,000 from UCLA—as part of a broader campaign against institutions the administration accused of tolerating antisemitism. While some universities, including Columbia and Brown, negotiated settlements to restore funding, Harvard and UCLA challenged the cuts in court and successfully recovered most funds.
Broader Political Context
Critics argue the antisemitism allegations serve as cover for a wider ideological campaign. "I think, in general, this is just more of the same from this current administration," said Kevin Rachlin of the Jewish watchdog group Nexus Project. "There's been a trend from this administration to try to remake higher education and reduce the independence of it."
Jeremy Bauter-Wolf of New America noted the apparent contradiction in the administration's approach: "If there was a real care around this very important issue, they wouldn't be cutting the staff, people who are actually in charge of reviewing and making sure that our college campuses are free from this." This pattern of aggressive policy shifts extends beyond education, as seen in sudden reversals on Iran policy and government funding that have created uncertainty in Washington.
The legal actions occur against a backdrop of continued political maneuvering by the administration on multiple fronts, including recent Senate votes on presidential war authority and ongoing debates about the administration's foreign policy direction. Both Harvard and UCLA have settled separate private lawsuits alleging antisemitism within the past year, though neither admitted wrongdoing in those settlements.
