The US Department of Justice has filed a fresh lawsuit against Harvard University, accusing the school’s leadership of failing to adequately address antisemitism on campus—an allegation the government says justifies freezing existing grants and seeking repayment of funds already disbursed.
Filed in a federal court in Massachusetts on Friday, the case marks the latest escalation in the long-running standoff between the university and the administration of Donald Trump.
In its filing, the Justice Department said the government “cannot and will not tolerate these failures,” adding that the legal action is intended to compel Harvard to comply with federal civil rights laws and to recover billions of dollars in taxpayer funding it claims was awarded to a discriminatory institution.
Harvard had not issued an immediate response at the time of filing.
The lawsuit follows months of stalled negotiations in a high-stakes standoff between Harvard University and the Donald Trump administration, raising broader questions about the extent of federal authority over American universities.
What began as an investigation into campus antisemitism has since escalated into a full-blown dispute. The administration moved to cut more than $2.6 billion in research funding, terminated federal contracts, and sought to restrict Harvard’s ability to host international students.
In two separate lawsuits, Harvard argues that it is being unfairly targeted for refusing to align with the administration’s positions. A federal judge appeared to support that view in December, overturning the funding cuts and describing the antisemitism justification as a “smokescreen.”
Despite the tensions, Harvard University and the Donald Trump administration have continued to engage in talks, with both sides reportedly coming close to a deal on several occasions.
Last year, negotiations were said to be nearing a breakthrough, with a proposed agreement requiring Harvard to pay $500 million in exchange for restored access to federal funding and the closure of ongoing investigations. Nearly a year on, Trump raised the stakes, suggesting the university should pay $1 billion, accusing it of “behaving very badly.”
At the same time, the administration has been advancing a separate civil rights investigation that could put all of Harvard’s federal funding at risk, including student financial aid—adding further pressure on the institution as discussions continue.
The Donald Trump administration escalated its scrutiny of top American universities in June, announcing that a civil rights investigation had found Harvard University had tolerated antisemitism on campus.
In a letter to the university, a federal task force said its findings suggested Harvard had been a “willful participant” in antisemitic harassment involving Jewish students and faculty. It warned that the case could be referred to the US Department of Justice for a potential civil rights lawsuit unless the university took corrective action.
Harvard rejected the claims, saying it strongly disagreed with the government’s conclusions while reaffirming its commitment to tackling discrimination.
“Antisemitism is a serious problem and, in any context, it is unacceptable,” the university said in a statement. “Harvard has taken substantive, proactive steps to address the root causes of antisemitism in its community.”
Since returning to office, Trump has intensified pressure on elite academic institutions, accusing them of fostering left-leaning ideologies and failing to adequately address antisemitism. His administration has already frozen billions of dollars in research funding—support that universities rely on heavily for scientific and medical work.
Some institutions have since struck agreements with the White House to restore funding. Columbia University agreed to a $200 million payment to the government, while Brown University committed $50 million toward workforce development initiatives.