Harvard Seeks Dismissal of Trump Antisemitism Suit Over 2023-24 Campus Incidents
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 18
Harvard Seeks Dismissal of Trump Antisemitism Suit Over 2023-24 Campus Incidents
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 18
Harvard on Monday asked a federal judge in Boston to throw out the Trump administration’s antisemitism lawsuit, calling it unconstitutional retaliation against the university.
The administration sued in March, alleging Harvard was deliberately indifferent to antisemitism and failed to protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment, assaults, stalking and exclusion.
Harvard said the complaint leans heavily on 2023 and 2024 incidents while ignoring institution-wide steps it says it has taken to improve conditions for Jewish and Israeli students.
The government’s suit also seeks to stop paying existing federal grants and claw back money already awarded, escalating a funding fight between Washington and the school.
The case follows Harvard’s earlier lawsuit over canceled federal funding, in which a federal judge ruled for the university about a year before this latest filing.
Is the government's billion-dollar lawsuit a necessary stand against campus antisemitism or a targeted attack on university autonomy?
With antisemitism incidents down 66%, can the government prove Harvard was 'deliberately indifferent' enough to win its case?