Judge Drops Harvard Admissions Suit

Federal courts in Boston have long served as a battleground for higher education disputes, and a new ruling adds a procedural hurdle to the ongoing tension between the executive branch and the Ivy League. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Myong Joun dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit against Harvard University. The judge determined that the government failed to establish the necessary procedural steps before demanding the school's admissions records.

The original suit, filed in February, sought to compel Harvard to turn over applicant-level data. The Justice Department alleged the university did not cooperate with a federal civil rights review. That review examined whether Harvard's admissions practices aligned with the Supreme Court's 2023 decision limiting the use of race. The department claimed the university repeatedly delayed providing documents and missed extended deadlines for individualized records.

Judge Joun's ten-page decision stated that the Department of Justice did not adequately demonstrate it followed required procedures prior to filing. The ruling was issued without prejudice, meaning the administration can file a new lawsuit if it corrects the identified deficiencies. Joun noted the government might be able to identify a qualifying determination or fix the procedural issues, but it has not yet supplied a sufficient basis for the specific relief requested in the current case.

The court found that the complaint did not allege officials notified Harvard of their intent to sue if the university failed to comply. The judge also noted the filing failed to adequately identify the specific compliance failure at issue. Additionally, the court found that the Department of Education did not sufficiently demonstrate it followed its own internal procedures before referring its separate admissions investigation for judicial enforcement.

When the lawsuit was first announced, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi accused Harvard of withholding information necessary for the review. She stated that the university failed to disclose data needed to ensure its admissions were free of discrimination. Harvard's attorneys argued the suit was part of a retaliatory campaign by the Trump administration, claiming the university faced pressure after resisting demands for changes to its governance and academic policies.

Judge Joun did not rule on these retaliation claims. He emphasized that his decision addressed procedural deficiencies rather than whether the university violated federal civil rights law. The ruling clarified that it did not convert the government's request for information into an accusation of present discrimination. Joun wrote that the decision did not resolve Harvard's underlying compliance with Title VI. The Justice Department, the Department of Education, and Harvard University were contacted for comment regarding the ruling.