{"id":2569743,"date":"2026-02-13T13:34:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T18:34:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-sues-harvard-over-access-to-race-based-admissions-documents\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T13:37:59","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T18:37:59","slug":"doj-sues-harvard-over-access-to-race-based-admissions-documents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-sues-harvard-over-access-to-race-based-admissions-documents\/","title":{"rendered":"DOJ sues Harvard over access to race-based admissions documents"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdoj-sues-harvard-over-access-to-race-based-admissions-documents%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2569743&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The U.S. Department of Justice has sued Harvard University in federal court in Boston, accusing Harvard of unlawfully withholding documents about race-based admissions during a civil-rights compliance review under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The DOJ says the records\u2014including individualized applicant data and internal communications related to race, diversity, equity, and inclusion\u2014are necessary to determine whether Harvard\u2019s admissions practices continue to discriminate on the basis of race, even after the Supreme Court\u2019s 2023 ruling on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/byu-rooting-out-racism-task-force-calls-for-race-conscious-religious-curriculum-admissions-standards\/\" title=\"BYU \u2018Rooting Out Racism\u2019 Task Force Calls For \u2018...-Conscious\u2019 Religious Curriculum, ... Standards\">race-conscious admissions<\/a>. The lawsuit seeks a court order forcing Harvard to disclose the requested documents; it does not allege current discrimination or seek monetary damages.<\/p>\n<p>Attorney General Pam Bondi and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon criticized Harvard\u2019s noncompliance, arguing that providing the data is a basic expectation of a credible compliance process and that failing to cooperate raises red flags. The DOJ notes that it began the compliance review in April 2025 and needed applicant-level data such as GPAs, test scores, and demographic information to assess Title VI compliance. The case sits against the backdrop of the Supreme Court decision limiting race-conscious admissions\u2019 use under the Fourteenth amendment\u2019s equal protection clause.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">DOJ sues Harvard over access to race-based admissions documents<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2504349\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\">Department of Justice<\/a> filed a lawsuit Friday against <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/harvard-university\/\">Harvard University<\/a>, accusing the Ivy League school of unlawfully withholding documents about race-based admissions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The DOJ said <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/justice-department-sues-harvard-university-withholding-race-related-admissions-documents#:~:text=The%20Justice%20Department's%20Civil%20Rights,admissions%20process%2C%20even%20after%20the\">in a news release<\/a> that the information is necessary to determine whether Harvard continues to discriminate based on<span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\"> race in its admissions process, even after the&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/news\/supreme-court\/\">Supreme Court<\/a>&nbsp;ruled in 2023 that the university <\/span>did so.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4457201\/new-york-republicans-appeal-maps-supreme-court\/\">New York GOP appeals new congressional map directly to Supreme Court<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4457342\/dc-attorney-general-rico-act-landlord\/\">DC attorney general uses RICO Act to charge landlord<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4456354\/fani-willis-slams-17-million-fees-from-trump-codefendants\/\">Fani Willis slams $17 million legal fees demand from Trump and former codefendants<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;Under President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">[Donald]  Trump&rsquo;s<\/a> leadership, this Department of Justice is demanding better from our nation&rsquo;s educational institutions,&rdquo; Attorney General <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pam-bondi\/\">Pam Bondi<\/a> said. &ldquo;Harvard has failed to disclose the data we need to ensure that its admissions are free of discrimination &mdash; we will continue fighting to put merit over DEI across America.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The complaint, filed in federal court in Boston, alleges Harvard has failed for more than 10 months to provide individualized applicant data and other records requested by the DOJ as part of a compliance review under <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-justice-department-pick-helped-kill-pipeline-favored-by-key-senator\/\" title=\"Biden ... ... Pick Helped Kill Pipeline Favored by Key Senator\">federal civil rights law<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Justice Department said the documents are needed to assess whether Harvard&rsquo;s admissions practices violate <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/title-vi\/\">Title VI<\/a> of the Civil Rights Act, which bars discrimination by establishments that receive federal funding.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit does not, in itself, allege that Harvard&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/analysis-colleges-likely-to-seek-workarounds-in-aftermath-of-ban-on-affirmative-action\/\" title=\"Colleges may find ways around Affirmative Action ban.\">current admissions policies<\/a> are discriminatory or seek monetary damages, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/media\/1427621\/dl?inline\">according to the complaint<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Instead, it seeks a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/will-the-court-allow-special-counsel-john-durham-to-see-clinton-campaign-documents\/\" title=\"Will The Court Allow Special Counsel John Durham To See Clinton Campaign Documents?\">court order compelling<\/a> the university to hand over documents the department has requested several times, including admissions policies and correspondence related to race, ethnicity, diversity, equity, and inclusion.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Assistant Attorney General <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/harmeet-dhillon\/\">Harmeet Dhillon<\/a> of the Justice Department&rsquo;s Civil Rights Division said in the release that Harvard&rsquo;s noncompliance raises red flags over its practices.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Providing requested data is a basic expectation of any credible compliance process, and refusal to cooperate creates concerns about university practices,&rdquo; Dhillon said. &ldquo;If Harvard has stopped discriminating, it should happily share the data necessary to prove it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The case traces back to April 2025, when the Justice Department <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/education\/3414475\/harvard-slams-doj-investigation-race-based-admissions\/\">initiated compliance reviews<\/a> of Harvard&rsquo;s undergraduate, law, and medical school admissions programs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Federal officials said at the time they needed applicant-level data, such as grade point averages, test scores, and demographic information, to determine whether Harvard was unlawfully continuing to discriminate based on race.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The complaint argues that Harvard&rsquo;s failure to provide records violates a material term of its federal financial assistance and hampers the government&rsquo;s ability to complete its review.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/education\/3414475\/harvard-slams-doj-investigation-race-based-admissions\/\"><strong>DOJ FIRES JUDGE-APPOINTED ACTING US ATTORNEY IN NEW YORK<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit also notes the backdrop of a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in <em>Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In June 2023, the court held that <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2578872\/supreme-court-bans-affirmative-action-in-ruling-against-race-conscious-college-admissions-2\/\"><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >race-conscious admissions programs violated<\/a><\/a> the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, effectively curtailing the consideration of race in colleges nationwide.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DOJ sues Harvard for race-based admissions records<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4130,"featured_media":2569744,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-2216836632.webp?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[11136,7076,6240],"class_list":["post-2569743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-admissions","tag-doj","tag-harvard"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GettyImages-2216836632.webp?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2569743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4130"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2569743"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2569743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2569747,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2569743\/revisions\/2569747"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2569744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2569743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2569743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2569743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}