Federal filing accuses Harvard of tolerating antisemitic hostility while Trump administration defends Jewish students’ rights.
The United States Department of Justice has expanded its civil rights lawsuit against Harvard University, adding new allegations that Jewish and Israeli students and scholars faced systemic bias, hostility and unequal treatment on campus.
The revised 59-page filing, submitted to the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, comes after Harvard sought to dismiss the federal case. The updated complaint includes several incidents not listed in the original lawsuit and argues that the university failed to properly protect Jewish and Israeli members of its community.
One major allegation focuses on Harvard Kennedy School professor Marshall Ganz, who allegedly blocked Israeli students from presenting a project on “liberal Jewish democracy” during a 2023 academic seminar. According to the complaint, the students were told that connecting the words “Jewish” and “democracy” was offensive and could make Muslim and Arab classmates feel unsafe.
The filing cites Harvard’s own internal investigation, which reportedly found that Ganz discriminated against the students based on Israeli national origin and Jewish ethnicity, while giving more favorable treatment to Arab and Muslim students he viewed as oppressed by Israel.
The Justice Department also added allegations involving anti-Israel activists trapping Jewish students inside a study lounge during an October 2023 protest, a staff member tearing down Israeli hostage posters from Harvard Chabad kiosks, antisemitic graffiti claiming “Israel did 9/11,” and swastika decals found near Harvard Hillel.
Federal prosecutors argue these incidents show a chronic pattern of antisemitism, institutional indifference and discriminatory treatment in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
The Trump administration has already taken major action against Harvard over campus antisemitism, including freezing more than $2 billion in federal research funding. The expanded lawsuit now increases pressure on the university to answer allegations that it allowed anti-Jewish hostility to flourish under the cover of political activism.
