Summary
A federal judge dismissed the Trump administration’s lawsuit seeking individual Harvard applicant records, ruling that the Justice Department and Department of Education did not meet required procedural steps before seeking court enforcement. The judge did not decide whether the government was entitled to the records or whether Harvard violated any requirements.Key Facts
- The lawsuit, filed by the Justice Department in February 2026, sought individual applicant records from Harvard as part of a federal civil rights review.
- The judge found the government had not shown that it adequately sought voluntary compliance before filing the lawsuit.
- The judge also found the Department of Education did not follow proper procedures before combining its admissions investigation with the Justice Department’s lawsuit.
- Harvard said it had provided more than 2,000 pages of documents but withheld personal applicant records, which it considers privileged.
- The Trump administration sought admissions records to check whether Harvard had stopped using affirmative action.
- Harvard reported that Black students made up 9.3% of its class of 2030, compared with 18% of its class of 2027.
- The same judge dismissed the administration’s antisemitism lawsuit against Harvard in August 2026.
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