Judge dismisses Justice Department suit against Harvard over admissions data

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department against Harvard University on Monday.

The suit sought to compel the university to provide admissions records that federal officials argued were necessary to verify the school had stopped using race as a factor in undergraduate, medical, and law school admissions.

Justice Department officials accused Harvard of thwarting their investigation by refusing to comply with a federal review launched in 2025.

The agency requested five years of data, including grades, test scores, essays, extracurricular activities, admissions outcomes, and the race and ethnicity of applicants.

U.S. District Judge Myong Joun ruled that the government did not take the required procedural steps before filing the case.

He wrote that the agency must first advise the recipient of its failure to comply and determine that voluntary compliance is not possible before taking enforcement action.

Joun stated that his decision addresses a limited procedural question rather than the merits of the dispute.

He noted that the ruling does not determine whether Harvard discriminated, whether the agencies may lawfully seek applicant-level data, or if the university will eventually be required to provide it.

The dismissal marks a recent setback for the Trump administration in its ongoing legal battles with the university.

The administration has previously lost federal court cases involving billions of dollars in funding cuts and a lawsuit accusing Harvard of antisemitism.

White House officials have cited allegations of anti-Jewish bias on campus as the reason for their actions against the university.

Harvard officials have described the administration's measures as unconstitutional retaliation for the school refusing to adopt specific ideological views.