The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit Friday against Harvard University, accusing the institution of discriminating against Jewish and Israeli students in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The complaint, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, alleges that Harvard showed deliberate indifference to antisemitic harassment, assaults, and intimidation following Hamas's attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. Mobs of students, faculty, and visitors targeted Jewish and Israeli students perceived to have connections to Israel, the suit claims. Harvard allegedly enforced its anti-bias policies unevenly, allowing anti-Israel protesters to violate rules with impunity while failing to protect affected students.

Specific failures cited include ignoring Harvard's own Presidential Task Force on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias, which documented the exclusion of Israeli or Zionist students from social spaces and extracurricular activities. The university also neglected to meaningfully discipline groups that occupied campus buildings, even providing them with food during the incidents, according to the complaint.

"Since October 7th, 2023, too many of our educational institutions have allowed anti-Semitism to flourish on campus – Harvard included," Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. "Today’s litigation underscores the Trump Administration’s commitment to demanding better from our nation’s schools."

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. added, "Every student deserves to learn without fear of harassment or exclusion. When institutions take taxpayer dollars, they accept a duty to protect civil rights." Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet K. Dhillon emphasized, "This Department of Justice will not tolerate the harassment, assault, or intimidation of Jewish and Israeli students."

The action follows a June 2025 finding by the Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights that Harvard violated Title VI through deliberate indifference to harassment of Jewish and Israeli students. That office rejected Harvard's proposed reforms as insufficient, despite the university's public commitments. Harvard receives more than $2.6 billion in active grants from HHS alone.

The United States seeks a court order compelling Harvard to comply with Title VI and restitution of federal funds received during the alleged violations. This suit comes after earlier Trump administration efforts to withhold funding were blocked by a judge in September 2025, and follows a similar DOJ lawsuit against the University of California system earlier this month.

Harvard has not yet issued a public response to Friday's filing. The university previously formed a task force and implemented measures to combat antisemitism, but federal investigators deemed them inadequate.