Judge Dismisses Justice Department Lawsuit Against Harvard on Admissions Data

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Judge Throws Out Lawsuit Seeking Harvard Admissions Data

A federal judge in Boston has dismissed a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice against Harvard University regarding the university's alleged failure to provide admissions records. The Justice Department filed the lawsuit as part of an investigation into whether Harvard continued to use affirmative action in its admissions decisions, despite a Supreme Court ban in 2023.

Details of the Admissions Data Dispute

The Justice Department initiated a compliance review of Harvard's admissions practices and requested five years of data from the university’s undergraduate, medical, and law schools. The request included applicants’ grades, test scores, essays, extracurricular activities, outcomes, and their race and ethnicity. Federal officials claimed the records were necessary to determine if Harvard was still considering race in admissions, which would violate the Supreme Court's decision against affirmative action in college admissions.

Procedural Requirements Not Met, Judge Rules

U.S. District Judge Myong Joun ruled that the Justice Department had not completed the required procedural steps before filing its lawsuit. According to Judge Joun, federal law requires agencies to notify institutions of noncompliance and make a formal determination that voluntary compliance is not possible before seeking judicial enforcement. "I decide a limited question: whether the Government has adequately established, at this stage and on the materials properly considered, that it satisfied the prerequisites to judicial enforcement invoked in this complaint," Judge Joun wrote.

Further Legal Questions Remain

While the lawsuit was dismissed, Judge Joun clarified that the decision does not resolve the dispute over the admissions data or the underlying claims of discrimination. The ruling does not determine whether Harvard engaged in discriminatory practices, nor does it prevent federal agencies from lawfully seeking admissions data or from requiring Harvard to produce it in the future, should proper procedures be followed.

Broader Context: Trump Administration and College Admissions

This dismissal is part of a series of setbacks for the Trump administration in its legal actions against Harvard. Previous defeats include failed efforts to cut federal funding and the dismissal of a lawsuit accusing the university of antisemitism. The administration has targeted other elite colleges, such as the University of California system, for similar alleged violations regarding use of race in admissions. In October, the Justice Department found the UCLA law school and medical school in violation of rules barring consideration of race in admissions. Complaints have also been filed against UC Berkeley Law School and UC San Diego medical school, alleging discrimination against white and Asian applicants.