A federal judge has dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit seeking to compel Harvard University to release admissions records, citing procedural deficiencies in the Justice Department's filing. U.S. District Judge Myong Joun ruled that the government had not adequately demonstrated it followed the required procedures before suing Harvard to obtain applicant-level admissions data.
The dismissal was issued without prejudice, meaning the administration could refile the lawsuit if it addresses the issues identified by the court. "The Government may be able to identify a qualifying determination or cure the procedural deficiency, but it has not supplied a sufficient basis for the judicial relief currently sought," Joun wrote in his decision.
The Justice Department had filed the lawsuit in February, alleging that Harvard failed to cooperate with a federal civil rights review examining whether the university's admissions practices complied with the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling limiting the use of race in college admissions. At the time, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi accused Harvard of withholding necessary information, stating, "Harvard has failed to disclose the data we need to ensure that its admissions are free of discrimination."
Judge Joun acknowledged that federal officials had made repeated requests for records and warned Harvard of potential enforcement actions. However, he found that the court filings did not sufficiently demonstrate that officials had followed required procedures, such as notifying Harvard of intent to litigate or clearly identifying the specific compliance failure at issue.
Harvard's attorneys had argued the lawsuit was part of a retaliatory campaign by the Trump administration after the university resisted demands regarding its governance and academic policies. The judge did not rule on Harvard's claims of retaliation, emphasizing that his decision focused solely on the procedural shortcomings of the government's filing.
"Nothing in this decision converts the Government's request for information into an accusation of present discrimination or resolves Harvard's underlying Title VI compliance," the judge stated.