Trump administration sues Harvard seeking documents on its admission process

The Justice Department clarified that the lawsuit ‘does not accuse Harvard of any discriminatory conduct’

Donald Trump's administration has launched a fresh lawsuit against Harvard University, alleging its failure to cooperate with a federal investigation and demanding documents pertaining to its admissions procedures.

The legal action, filed in a Boston federal court by U.S. Justice Department lawyers, states that the requested documents are crucial for evaluating Harvard's adherence to a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that deemed race-conscious college admissions programs unconstitutional.

The Justice Department clarified that the lawsuit was initiated "solely to compel Harvard to produce documents relating to any consideration of race in admission" and "does not accuse Harvard of any discriminatory conduct, nor does it seek monetary damages or the revocation of federal funding." Representatives for Harvard did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Earlier this month, President Trump indicated his administration was pursuing $1 billion from Harvard to resolve inquiries into its policies, following reports that he had rescinded an earlier demand for payment from the Ivy League institution.

The Justice Department clarified that the lawsuit ‘does not accuse Harvard of any discriminatory conduct’ (Getty)

Harvard has been a key target in the administration's wider campaign to use federal funding as leverage to enforce changes at US universities, which Trump claims are plagued by antisemitic and "radical left" ideologies.

This campaign has seen the administration cancel hundreds of grants to Harvard researchers, citing the university's alleged failure to adequately address harassment of Jewish students on campus, a move that led Harvard to launch its own lawsuit.

Harvard University sued the Trump administration last year, accusing the White House of violating its free speech rights by freezing federal funding to punish it for its refusal to take action against students for their beliefs.

"The government has not — and cannot — identify any rational connection between antisemitism concerns and the medical, scientific, technological and other research it has frozen that aims to save American lives, foster American success, preserve American security, and maintain America's position as a global leader in innovation,” the university said at the time.