Justice Department Sues Harvard Over Admissions Race Data/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ The Justice Department is suing Harvard University for refusing to provide admissions data tied to a federal civil rights investigation. Officials say the records are needed to ensure the school has stopped considering race in admissions. The lawsuit escalates President Trump’s broader clash with Harvard over funding and campus policies.
Justice Department Sues Harvard Over Admissions Data Quick Looks
- DOJ filed lawsuit in federal court in Massachusetts.
- Civil Rights Division seeks five years of admissions records.
- Probe centers on whether race still factors into decisions.
- Supreme Court barred affirmative action in 2023.
- Harvard faces funding cuts and separate legal battles.
- Administration expanding data collection from universities nationwide.
Deep Look: Justice Department Sues Harvard Over Admissions Race Data
The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit against Harvard University, accusing the Ivy League institution of refusing to turn over admissions data requested as part of a federal civil rights investigation.
In a complaint filed Friday in federal court in Massachusetts, the Justice Department alleged that Harvard has “thwarted” efforts to determine whether the university continues to factor race into admissions decisions despite a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that barred affirmative action in higher education.
The lawsuit asks a judge to compel Harvard to provide five years of admissions records covering undergraduate, law and medical school applicants.
Civil Rights Investigation Intensifies
Harmeet Dhillon, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said Harvard’s refusal to comply raises serious concerns.
“If Harvard has stopped discriminating, it should happily share the data necessary to prove it,” Dhillon said in a statement.
The department opened a compliance review into Harvard’s admissions policies last April — the same day the White House issued a sweeping set of demands aligned with President Donald Trump’s policy priorities.
Federal officials requested extensive admissions data, including applicants’ grades, standardized test scores, essays, extracurricular activities and final admissions decisions. The Justice Department also sought demographic information, including race and ethnicity, to determine whether the school has continued considering race after the Supreme Court’s landmark 2023 decision.
According to the lawsuit, Harvard has not provided the requested records, which were initially due in April 2025.
Harvard did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the filing.
Supreme Court Ruling at the Center
The legal fight traces back to the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling that struck down race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. The decision effectively ended decades of affirmative action practices in college admissions.
Trump administration officials have repeatedly argued that some colleges are attempting to circumvent the ruling by continuing to weigh race indirectly. They contend such practices discriminate against white and Asian American applicants.
The lawsuit signals a more aggressive federal approach to enforcement. Justice Department officials maintain that without detailed admissions data, they cannot determine whether Harvard is in compliance with federal civil rights law.
Escalating Clash With Harvard
The new legal action is the latest development in a prolonged standoff between the Trump administration and Harvard.
Last year, the White House imposed billions of dollars in funding cuts and other sanctions after Harvard rejected a list of policy demands from the administration. Trump officials have also accused the university of failing to adequately address allegations of anti-Jewish bias on campus.
Harvard has pushed back, arguing it is being subjected to unconstitutional retaliation for resisting what it describes as ideological interference from the federal government.
Two previous lawsuits resulted in court rulings favorable to Harvard, and the administration is currently appealing those decisions.
For a time last summer, President Trump suggested a negotiated settlement was near that would restore federal funding. However, no agreement materialized. Earlier this month, Trump renewed pressure on the university, stating that Harvard would need to pay $1 billion as part of any deal — double his earlier demand.
Broader Federal Push
The Harvard lawsuit is part of a wider federal effort to scrutinize admissions practices nationwide. The White House is pressing universities across the country to provide similar data to assess compliance with the Supreme Court’s ruling.
The Education Department has announced plans to collect more detailed admissions information from colleges following an executive action signed by Trump, which asserted that some institutions were ignoring the court’s directive.
The administration’s enforcement campaign is expected to intensify in the months ahead, with education policy shaping up as a key issue in the upcoming election cycle.
For Harvard, the legal battle could carry significant implications — not only for its admissions policies but also for its federal funding, autonomy and long-term relationship with Washington.
As the case moves forward in federal court, it is likely to test both the limits of the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling and the federal government’s authority to demand internal admissions records from private universities.
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