A federal judge in Boston has dismissed a lawsuit brought by the Trump administration accusing Harvard University of failing to protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment following the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. US District Judge Richard Stearns ruled on Thursday, 13 August 2026, that the administration had not plausibly demonstrated an ongoing violation of federal civil rights law on the university's campus.
Stearns found that the government's complaint relied largely on a limited set of incidents said to have occurred in March 2025, which he described as insufficient to establish a continuing pattern of discrimination. According to Inside Higher Ed, Stearns—a Clinton appointee—noted that only three of the examples cited by the government were alleged to have taken place after the 2023–24 academic year.
The ruling represents a setback for President Donald Trump and his administration, which has used the antisemitism allegations as part of a wider effort to pressure Harvard into changing its policies on admissions, diversity, equity and inclusion, and other campus matters.
What did the lawsuit allege?
The Department of Justice's original complaint, filed in March, painted a bleak picture of student life at Harvard in the aftermath of the 7 October 2023 attack. Government lawyers claimed Jewish and Israeli students had been harassed, physically assaulted, stalked and spat upon, and alleged that the university's leadership had effectively done nothing in response.
According to CBS News, the original filing ran to 44 pages and sought to claw back billions of dollars in federal funding from the university. Separately, according to The Independent, the lawsuit also alleged that protesters had occupied university facilities and that Jewish and Israeli students were at times blocked from entering buildings during demonstrations.
The DoJ argued that this conduct amounted to a breach of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars discrimination on the basis of race or national origin within federally funded programs.
Why did the judge dismiss the case?
Judge Stearns concluded that the government had misread the purpose of Title VI, which he said was designed to encourage institutions to come into compliance rather than to punish them retroactively. He wrote that Congress had intended the law to be forward-looking rather than backward-looking, whereas the administration's evidence was concentrated almost entirely in the 2023–24 period.
The judge said he was not "diminishing any concern arising" from campus events in the immediate aftermath of the Hamas attacks.
He also found that the administration's amended complaint offered no factual allegations covering the period after Harvard was formally put on notice under Title VI in June 2025. Stearns dismissed what he termed the government's "fevered forewarning of potential havoc," ruling that it did not satisfy the legal standard required for the case to proceed.
How has Harvard responded to the allegations?
According to CNBC, Harvard said in March that it intended to contest the lawsuit, pointing to measures it had already introduced, including enhanced staff training, revised disciplinary procedures, and adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism. In a motion to dismiss filed on 18 May 2026, according to The New York Times, the university argued that the DoJ's allegations were concentrated in the 2023–24 period and failed to account for the steps it had since taken to address antisemitism on campus.
What happens next?
Harvard continues to face a separate, broader federal funding dispute connected to the administration's wider pressure campaign over admissions and diversity policy, according to Harvard University, though no specific hearing date has been announced. It also remains unclear whether the Department of Justice will appeal Thursday's dismissal, as none of the available reporting, including from U.S. News & World Report, indicates that an appeal has been filed or scheduled.
Key Facts
- US District Judge Richard Stearns dismissed the lawsuit on 13 August 2026, ruling the administration failed to show an ongoing Title VI violation.
- The original DoJ complaint, filed in March 2025, was 44 pages long and sought to recover billions in federal funding.
- Only three examples cited by the government allegedly occurred after the 2023–24 academic year.
- Harvard had already adopted antisemitism-response measures, including staff training and the IHRA definition of antisemitism.
- Harvard still faces a separate federal funding dispute tied to the administration's broader campaign on admissions and DEI policy.
