The U.S. Justice Department filed a fresh lawsuit against Harvard University on Friday, accusing its leadership of failing to properly tackle antisemitism on campus — a failure it says justifies freezing current federal funding and reclaiming billions already awarded.
Filed in federal court in Massachusetts, the case marks the latest escalation in an ongoing clash between President Donald Trump’s administration and the Ivy League institution.
“The United States cannot and will not tolerate these failures,” the Justice Department wrote in the lawsuit, urging the court to force Harvard into compliance with federal civil rights law and to help it “recover billions of dollars of taxpayer subsidies awarded to a discriminatory institution.”
The lawsuit also calls for stricter measures on campus, including requiring Harvard to involve police in arresting protesters who block university spaces and appointing an “independent outside monitor,” approved by the government, to oversee compliance with court directives.
Harvard did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The legal action follows months of stalled negotiations in a widening dispute that has pushed the limits of federal authority over higher education. What initially began as an inquiry into campus antisemitism has since spiraled into a broader conflict, with the Trump administration cutting more than $2.6 billion in research funding, terminating federal contracts, and attempting to restrict Harvard’s ability to host international students.
Harvard, in two separate lawsuits, has argued it is being unfairly targeted for resisting the administration’s demands. In December, a federal judge sided with the university, reversing funding cuts and describing the antisemitism claims as a “smokescreen.”
Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, criticized the administration’s approach, calling it a “full scale, multi-pronged” offensive against Harvard. He described Friday’s lawsuit as another attempt to pressure the university into policy changes aligned with the administration’s agenda.
“When bullies pound on the table and don’t get they want, they pound again,” Mitchell said.
The Trump administration launched its investigation into alleged discrimination against Jewish and Israeli students at Harvard less than two weeks after taking office. The probe focused heavily on the university’s response to pro-Palestinian protests during the Israel-Hamas war.
Officials concluded Harvard failed to adequately address concerns about antisemitism, claiming some students felt compelled to hide religious identifiers like skullcaps or avoid attending classes. They also accused the university of allowing protests inside campus buildings and permitting a pro-Palestinian encampment to remain for 20 days “in violation of university policy.”
In the lawsuit, the Justice Department further alleges that Harvard did not properly discipline students or staff involved in the protests or those who appeared to support them, including instances where classes were canceled or disrupted.
“Harvard University has failed to protect its Jewish students from harassment and has allowed discrimination to wreak havoc on its campus,” White House press secretary Liz Huston said Friday on X. “President Trump is committed to ensuring every student can pursue their academic goals in a safe environment.”
Despite the intensifying conflict, both sides have engaged in intermittent negotiations and reportedly came close to a settlement multiple times. At one stage, a deal was said to include Harvard paying $500 million to restore federal funding and halt investigations. Nearly a year later, Trump raised that figure to $1 billion, saying the university has been “behaving very badly.”
Meanwhile, the administration continued advancing a civil rights probe that could jeopardize all federal funding to Harvard.
In June, officials formally concluded that Harvard had tolerated antisemitism. A federal task force, in a letter to the university, stated that Harvard was a “willful participant” in antisemitic harassment affecting Jewish students and faculty, warning that the case would be referred to the Justice Department for legal action “as soon as possible” unless the university complied.
Typically, such cases are resolved through voluntary agreements when institutions are found in violation of civil rights laws. When negotiations fail, however, the government can move to cut funding through administrative action or — as in this case — pursue litigation.
Such standoffs have been rare in recent decades.
Harvard has pushed back strongly against the findings. Last summer, the university said it remained committed to addressing bias while rejecting the government’s conclusions.
“Antisemitism is a serious problem and no matter the context, it is unacceptable,” the university said in a statement. “Harvard has taken substantive, proactive steps to address the root causes of antisemitism in its community.”
In a letter last spring, Harvard President Alan M. Garber told officials the university had formed a task force to investigate antisemitism and had issued a detailed report examining events following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, which killed around 1,200 people and led to 251 abductions. Israel’s subsequent military response killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and displaced much of Gaza’s population, sparking widespread protests on college campuses.
Garber added that Harvard had since introduced leadership changes, including appointing a new provost and deans, and had reformed disciplinary systems to make them “more consistent, fair and effective.”
Since taking office, Trump has repeatedly targeted elite universities, arguing they are dominated by left-wing ideology and failing to address antisemitism. His administration has frozen billions in research funding — a key source of support for academic and scientific work.
Some universities have reached agreements with the White House to restore funding. These have included financial settlements, such as $200 million from Columbia University and $50 million from Brown University directed toward workforce development initiatives.
