Trump administration sues Harvard University over race-based admissions records

The US Department of Justice has filed a new lawsuit against Harvard University on Friday, saying the school has not cooperated with a federal investigation. The Trump administration is seeking records to determine whether Harvard improperly considered race in its admissions process.

The lawsuit follows remarks made less than two weeks ago by US President Donald Trump, who said his administration was pursuing $1 billion from Harvard to resolve investigations into the university’s policies. That statement came after a news report said Trump had dropped his demand for payment from the Ivy League institution.

A Harvard spokesperson said the university is committed to complying with the law and has responded to the government’s requests in good faith, according to Reuters.

“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," the spokesperson said.

The administration has warned it could withhold federal funding from Harvard and other universities over several issues, including pro-Palestinian protests related to Israel's war in Gaza, diversity initiatives, and transgender policies on campus.

In a press release issued on Friday, the Justice Department said Harvard had “repeatedly slow-walked the pace of production and refused to produce pertinent data and documents,” including materials related to admissions policies and communications about diversity, equity and inclusion programmes that have since been banned.

According to the complaint filed in federal court in Boston, Justice Department attorneys said the requested documents are needed to evaluate whether Harvard is complying with a 2023 ruling by the US Supreme Court that found race-conscious college admissions programmes unconstitutional.

The department said the lawsuit was filed “solely to compel Harvard to produce documents relating to any consideration of race in admission” and “does not accuse Harvard of any discriminatory conduct, nor does it seek monetary damages or the revocation of federal funding.”

Last year, the administration moved to cancel hundreds of research grants awarded to Harvard, arguing the university had not adequately addressed harassment of Jewish students on campus. Harvard responded by filing its own lawsuit.

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With inputs from Reuters

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