A federal district court judge dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit against Harvard University regarding allegations of antisemitism on August 13, 2026. U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns concluded that the incidents cited by the government were 'too isolated and episodic' to demonstrate that Harvard was in violation of federal civil rights law. The lawsuit, filed in March, claimed that Harvard's response to antisemitism following the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas was inadequate and sought to cut off future funding and recover nearly $1 billion in federal grants.
Judge Stearns noted that the government's amended complaint primarily focused on incidents from the 2023-2024 school year and included only three incidents from March 2025. He stated that while the court acknowledged the seriousness of the incidents, they did not support a plausible inference of ongoing noncompliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The judge addressed only the argument regarding ongoing violations, finding that the government had not sufficiently alleged such violations.
The government had argued that even if Harvard was no longer in violation, it could still seek damages for past noncompliance. However, Stearns found that the government did not establish that Harvard remained out of compliance after June 30, 2025, when the government provided notice of the alleged failure to comply. He emphasized that the purpose of enforcement actions is to ensure future compliance rather than to punish past violations. This decision differs from previous cases where Judge Stearns acknowledged the merits of claims against Harvard regarding antisemitism.