Biden-Nominated Federal Judge Tosses DOJ Lawsuit Demanding Harvard Admissions Data
Authored by Kimberly Hayek via The Epoch Times,
A federal judge on Monday dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit that sought to force Harvard University to turn over detailed records showing whether its admissions policies are race-based.
Biden-nominated U.S. District Judge Myong J. Joun in Boston rejected the Department of Justice's case after finding the government had not completed the legally required steps to secure voluntary compliance before suing. The decision rested on those narrow procedural grounds and did not resolve whether Harvard must ultimately provide the data.
The ruling leaves open the possibility that the Justice and Education departments could still seek applicant-level information if they correct the procedural deficiencies. The case was dismissed without prejudice.
"A deadline and a threat to sue, standing alone, do not necessarily demonstrate compliance with the regulatory voluntary-compliance process where the agency seeks to enforce disputed demands for extensive information," Joun wrote.
The Justice Department had sought years of applicant-level data to test whether Harvard continues to consider race after the Supreme Court's 2023 decision ending race-based admissions. Harvard contends the suit forms part of a broader campaign by the administration against the Ivy League school.
The Justice Department sued Harvard on Feb. 13, accusing the university of withholding admissions data needed to check whether it is still engaging in discriminatory practices.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, alleged that Harvard was "not complying with a federal investigation," that it has a "recent history of racial discrimination," and that it is "continuing to discriminate in its admissions process."
Officials noted the 2023 Supreme Court ruling that race-based affirmative action programs in most college admissions violate the Constitution's 14th Amendment. They said Harvard had "slow-walked the pace of production" or refused to turn over data and documents on admissions policies and related information. Those records, the department argued, were required to determine compliance with the high court's decision.
"Harvard made its most recent production of admissions-related documents in May 2025," the complaint stated. "The repeatedly extended deadlines for document production have long passed."
The suit sought to compel production of materials tied to any race-based admissions programs. It also claimed the university's failure to hand over the documents violated terms of its agreement with the government for receiving federal financial assistance.
"Providing requested data is a basic expectation of any credible compliance process, and refusal to cooperate creates concerns about university practices," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said in a Feb. 13 statement announcing the lawsuit. "If Harvard has stopped discriminating, it should happily share the data necessary to prove it."
In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Students for Fair Admissions, which had sued Harvard for denying Asian applicants because that group was overrepresented in the undergraduate student body, violating civil rights laws.
The court issued its decision on June 29 in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, holding that the university's affirmative action policies violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It reached a parallel conclusion the same day in a companion case against the University of North Carolina.
After the ruling, Harvard said it would "certainly comply" with the decision in a June 29 statement. It also stated that "Because the teaching, learning, research, and creativity that bring progress and change require debate and disagreement, diversity and difference are essential to academic excellence."
Harvard's figures for the Class of 2029 showed black American students at 11.5 percent of the freshman class - down 2.5 percentage points from the prior year, 2.6 points from 2023, and 5.1 points from 2020. Asian students made up 41 percent, up from 37 percent the year before and 29.8 percent in 2023. Correction: A Previous version of this article misstated the date the DOJ filed its lawsuit against Harvard University. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
Tyler Durden Wed, 11/04/2026 - 17:00
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[ H/T ZeroHedge ]
Authored by Kimberly Hayek via The Epoch Times,
A federal judge on Monday dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit that sought to force Harvard University to turn over detailed records showing whether its admissions policies are race-based.
Biden-nominated U.S. District Judge Myong J. Joun in Boston rejected the Department of Justice's case after finding the government had not completed the legally required steps to secure voluntary compliance before suing. The decision rested on those narrow procedural grounds and did not resolve whether Harvard must ultimately provide the data.
The ruling leaves open the possibility that the Justice and Education departments could still seek applicant-level information if they correct the procedural deficiencies. The case was dismissed without prejudice.
"A deadline and a threat to sue, standing alone, do not necessarily demonstrate compliance with the regulatory voluntary-compliance process where the agency seeks to enforce disputed demands for extensive information," Joun wrote.
The Justice Department had sought years of applicant-level data to test whether Harvard continues to consider race after the Supreme Court's 2023 decision ending race-based admissions. Harvard contends the suit forms part of a broader campaign by the administration against the Ivy League school.
The Justice Department sued Harvard on Feb. 13, accusing the university of withholding admissions data needed to check whether it is still engaging in discriminatory practices.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, alleged that Harvard was "not complying with a federal investigation," that it has a "recent history of racial discrimination," and that it is "continuing to discriminate in its admissions process."
Officials noted the 2023 Supreme Court ruling that race-based affirmative action programs in most college admissions violate the Constitution's 14th Amendment. They said Harvard had "slow-walked the pace of production" or refused to turn over data and documents on admissions policies and related information. Those records, the department argued, were required to determine compliance with the high court's decision.
"Harvard made its most recent production of admissions-related documents in May 2025," the complaint stated. "The repeatedly extended deadlines for document production have long passed."
The suit sought to compel production of materials tied to any race-based admissions programs. It also claimed the university's failure to hand over the documents violated terms of its agreement with the government for receiving federal financial assistance.
"Providing requested data is a basic expectation of any credible compliance process, and refusal to cooperate creates concerns about university practices," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said in a Feb. 13 statement announcing the lawsuit. "If Harvard has stopped discriminating, it should happily share the data necessary to prove it."
In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Students for Fair Admissions, which had sued Harvard for denying Asian applicants because that group was overrepresented in the undergraduate student body, violating civil rights laws.
The court issued its decision on June 29 in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, holding that the university's affirmative action policies violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It reached a parallel conclusion the same day in a companion case against the University of North Carolina.
After the ruling, Harvard said it would "certainly comply" with the decision in a June 29 statement. It also stated that "Because the teaching, learning, research, and creativity that bring progress and change require debate and disagreement, diversity and difference are essential to academic excellence."
Harvard's figures for the Class of 2029 showed black American students at 11.5 percent of the freshman class - down 2.5 percentage points from the prior year, 2.6 points from 2023, and 5.1 points from 2020. Asian students made up 41 percent, up from 37 percent the year before and 29.8 percent in 2023. Correction: A Previous version of this article misstated the date the DOJ filed its lawsuit against Harvard University. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
Tyler Durden Wed, 11/04/2026 - 17:00
Continue reading...
[ H/T ZeroHedge ]
