WASHINGTON (OnPoint) — The Trump administration has officially filed a lawsuit against Harvard University, claiming that it has obstructed the Justice Department's request for admissions records essential to ensuring the Ivy League institution has ceased using affirmative action in its admissions process.
Filed in a federal court in Massachusetts, the lawsuit accuses Harvard of thwarting efforts to investigate potential discrimination and calls on the court to mandate compliance by providing requested records.
Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the department's Civil Rights Division, remarked that Harvard's unwillingness to comply raises significant concerns. If Harvard has stopped discriminating, it should have no issue sharing the data necessary to demonstrate this, Dhillon stated.
In addition, the lawsuit represents the continuation of a standoff between President Trump and Harvard, a conflict that intensified after the university declined to meet a series of demands presented by the administration last year.
The Trump administration has indicated that its actions stem from allegations regarding anti-Jewish bias on campus. Meanwhile, Harvard claims it is facing unconstitutional retaliation for rejecting the administration’s requests.
This legal action follows a compliance review initiated by the Justice Department last April on the same day a series of demands were outlined by the White House. Harvard was instructed to submit comprehensive admissions data, including grades, test scores, and demographic information for five years, which the university has reportedly failed to provide.
Amidst accusations from Trump officials that universities are maintaining racially biased admission policies despite the Supreme Court's denial of affirmative action, the Biden administration plans to gather similar data from colleges nationwide to ensure compliance with the court's ruling.
The background of this dispute suggests that while tensions seemed to ease last summer with discussions of restoring federal funding to Harvard, the continuation of demands and subsequent legal action has reignited the conflict, with demands now reaching as high as $1 billion from the university.
