WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is suing Harvard University, saying it has refused to provide admissions records that the Justice Department demanded to ensure the Ivy League school stopped using affirmative action in admissions.
The lawsuit was filed Friday in federal court in Massachusetts, where the Justice Department claimed Harvard has 'thwarted' efforts to investigate potential discrimination. Harvard is accused of failing to comply with a federal investigation and has been asked to submit the requested records.
Harmeet Dhillon, leading the department’s Civil Rights Division, expressed concern, stating that Harvard's refusal is a strong indicator of wrongdoing. 'If Harvard has stopped discriminating, it should happily share the data necessary to prove it,' Dhillon remarked.
While Harvard officials have not commented on the lawsuit, it comes amidst an ongoing conflict between the university and the Trump administration, which has previously threatened funding cuts following a list of demands that Harvard did not meet.
Administration officials claim that the measures against Harvard are in response to allegations of anti-Jewish bias on campus. In turn, Harvard officials maintain they are facing unconstitutional retaliation for not aligning with the administration's views.
The Justice Department initiated a compliance review into Harvard’s admissions practices in April after the White House issued broad demands reflective of Trump’s priorities. These include a request for five years of admissions data encompassing various metrics such as grades, test scores, and ethnic backgrounds of applicants.
Trump officials allege that several colleges continue to discriminate despite the Supreme Court’s decision forbidding affirmative action in admissions, alleging that it particularly affects white and Asian applicants.
The Justice Department's litigation follows the administration's intent to scrutinize other universities nationwide, prompting the Education Department to demand further admissions data from colleges to determine compliance with the Supreme Court's ruling.
Trump's push against Harvard had appeared to lessen after discussions of restoring federal funds, yet those talks have reignited this month, with Trump insisting that Harvard must pay $1 billion to finalize any deal—double what he had previously asked.
