Judge Tosses Trump Bid to Force Harvard Admissions Data
US District Judge Myong J. Joun of the District of Massachusetts dismissed the case without prejudice. He ruled that the government failed to show it followed the required administrative steps before asking a court to enforce its demands.
In his ruling, Joun found that the Department of Justice (DOJ) did not sufficiently establish that it told Harvard about the specific compliance failures, or the enforcement action it planned to pursue, before filing suit. The Department of Education likewise did not show it had completed the steps required to secure voluntary compliance before referring the matter for judicial enforcement.
The lawsuit sought applicant-level data from Harvard, including academic records, race and ethnicity information, essays and admissions decisions. The requests stemmed from federal reviews of whether the university complied with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The judge stressed that federal agencies must follow established statutory and regulatory procedures before asking courts to enforce administrative information demands.
Because the dismissal is without prejudice, the administration remains free to file a new lawsuit once it corrects the deficiencies the court identified. Joun also made clear that his decision does not settle whether Harvard must ultimately hand over the records or whether the government’s demands are legally justified.
The ruling leaves the underlying federal investigation into the university’s admissions practices unresolved.
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