Federal judge tosses Trump administration suit against Harvard
A Boston judge ruled the government failed to meet procedural requirements before compelling the university to release student essays and other admissions records.
By Carolina Wood ·
Harvard students and staff will not face an immediate court order forcing the university to hand over individual application essays to federal agencies. A federal judge in Boston dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration earlier this year. The suit sought to compel the school to produce documents for a discrimination review. The decision leaves the underlying dispute over admissions data unresolved for now.
The administration filed the complaint in February. Officials accused the university of slowing the pace of document production. The government argued that Harvard withheld materials related to applicant-level admissions decisions. The suit claimed these delays stymied a federal review of the school's procedures.
Judge Myong J. Joun wrote in a Monday order that the administration had not cleared the necessary procedural hurdles to satisfy a court order for the materials. The judge clarified that the ruling does not determine whether Harvard discriminated. The order also does not decide if the agencies may lawfully seek applicant-level data or if the school will eventually have to provide it.
Harvard described the lawsuit as part of an ongoing campaign by the administration to force the university into negotiations. In court filings, the school stated its demands went too far. Harvard maintained that it has complied with federal law in its admissions processes. The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
Trump officials also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The case returns to the government's ability to define and request specific data from the university. No further court dates were mentioned in the initial reporting of the dismissal.
