Judge dismisses Justice Department suit against Harvard

The federal government has long sought detailed admissions records from Harvard University to monitor compliance with recent changes in affirmative action policies. On Monday, a federal judge in Boston dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department against the university regarding those records.

Judge Myong Joun ruled that the agency failed to take necessary procedural steps before initiating the legal action. The Justice Department had accused Harvard of thwarting an investigation into potential discrimination by refusing to comply with a demand for data. Joun noted that the agency was required to advise the recipient of its failure to comply and determine that voluntary compliance could not be secured before taking enforcement action.

The judge clarified that the decision addresses a limited procedural question rather than the merits of the case. Joun wrote that the ruling does not determine whether Harvard has discriminated or whether the agencies may lawfully seek applicant-level data. He stated that the court has not decided whether Harvard may ultimately be required to provide such information.

In 2025, the Justice Department launched a compliance review of Harvard’s admissions practices. The agency requested five years of data for applicants to the undergraduate, medical, and law schools. The request included grades, test scores, essays, extracurricular activities, admissions outcomes, and race and ethnicity information. Officials said the data is needed to determine if the university continues to consider race in admissions decisions following the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling that barred affirmative action in that context.

The dismissal represents the latest legal setback for the Trump administration in its ongoing dispute with Harvard. The administration has cited allegations of anti-Jewish bias on campus as a reason for its actions. Harvard officials have characterized the conflict as unconstitutional retaliation for the university’s refusal to adopt the administration’s ideological views. Neither Harvard nor the Justice Department responded to requests for comment on the ruling.

The fight over admissions data is part of a wider campaign by the administration against colleges accused of considering race in admissions. In October, the Justice Department found that the University of California, Los Angeles law school illegally considered race in admissions. That finding followed a similar determination against the university’s medical school. The administration has also accused the UC Berkeley Law School and the University of California, San Diego medical school of illegally discriminating against white and Asian applicants.