WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department filed a new lawsuit Friday against Harvard University, claiming its administration has not adequately addressed allegations of antisemitism on campus. The suit seeks to freeze current federal grants and demands repayment of previously awarded funds.
This development signifies another chapter in the protracted conflict between the Trump administration and esteemed institutions like Harvard. The lawsuit argues, The United States cannot and will not tolerate these failures and brings this action to compel Harvard to comply with federal civil rights law and to recover billions of dollars of taxpayer subsidies awarded to a discriminatory institution. Harvard's leadership was not immediately available for comment.
The lawsuit emerges following stalled negotiations that have characterized months of contention with the Trump administration over various issues of university governance and funding. Initially focused on incidents of antisemitism on campus, relations have deteriorated, culminating in significant cuts to federal research funding amounting to over $2.6 billion.
Harvard has countered the Justice Department's claims through its own lawsuits, asserting that it has been unfairly targeted due to its refusal to align with the administration's ideological views. A ruling from December indicated that a federal judge deemed the allegations of antisemitism a smokescreen, leading to the reversal of funding cuts.
Talks of reconciliation had previously suggested an agreement might materialize, with reports suggesting a potential $500 million settlement to secure access to federal funding. However, President Trump later raised this figure to $1 billion, accusing Harvard of poor conduct.
Since taking office, Trump's administration has increasingly focused on what it perceives as left-wing ideologies and antisemitism at elite educational institutions, employing measures that have frozen substantial federal research grants.
