By Basant El-Faramawy
A federal district court judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration seeking individual applicant records from Harvard University, ruling that the government failed to meet procedural requirements before suing.
Procedural grounds for dismissal
Judge Myoung J Joun granted Harvard’s motion to dismiss on procedural grounds, finding that the Justice Department did not demonstrate it had taken necessary steps to seek voluntary compliance before seeking judicial enforcement. The judge did not rule on the merits of the case.
Lawsuit aimed at affirmative action
The lawsuit, filed in February 2026, demanded records as part of a civil rights review and claimed Harvard had “thwarted” and “slow-walked” the process. The Trump administration sought the records to ensure Harvard had ceased using affirmative action in admissions.
Harvard cites enrollment data
Last week Harvard released admissions data showing Black student enrollment fell for a third straight year to 9.3% for the class of 2030, down from 18% in the class of 2027. The university said it provided more than 2,000 pages of documents without divulging personal individual records, which it considers privileged.
Previous case also dismissed
In August 2026 the same judge dismissed the Trump administration’s antisemitism lawsuit against Harvard, one of several actions against the university that included freezing federal funds and attempting to revoke its ability to accept international students.
