In an unprecedented move, the Department of Justice has taken legal action against Harvard University over allegations of antisemitism and hate speech, putting the institution’s federal funding at risk.
At a Glance
- The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have accused Harvard University of “violent violations” of civil rights due to rampant antisemitism.
- The federal government is threatening to cut off all federal funding if the university does not take immediate and meaningful action.
- The government’s notice explicitly calls Harvard one of the “most prominent and visible breeding grounds for race discrimination.”
- Harvard has disputed the findings but faces immense pressure to reform its policies and campus culture.
A Federal Crackdown on Harvard
The U.S. government has taken unprecedented legal action against Harvard University, formally accusing the Ivy League institution of severe civil rights violations for failing to protect its Jewish students from a hostile environment of antisemitic harassment. In a scathing letter to Harvard President Alan Garber, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) threatened to cut off all federal funding to the university.
The action is based on a finding that Harvard has shown “deliberate indifference” to antisemitic harassment, thereby violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in any program receiving federal funds.
A “Breeding Ground for Discrimination”
The language used by the federal agencies is extraordinarily blunt. The letter accuses Harvard of being “among the most prominent and visible breeding grounds for race discrimination,” a charge that supporters of the move say is long overdue.
Conservative legal advocate Harmeet K. Dhillon praised the government’s action. “Harvard’s inaction in the face of these civil rights violations is a clear example of the demographic hierarchy that has taken hold of the University,” she told Newsweek. “Equal defense of the law demands that all groups, regardless of race or national origin, are protected.”
Federal Funding on the Line
The threat to Harvard’s federal funding represents a massive financial blow to the institution. The notice from the HHS Office for Civil Rights makes it clear that continued funding may violate U.S. law unless the university implements immediate and substantial reforms to address the hostile environment on its campus.
The government’s letter also references the 2023 Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admission v. Harvard, which struck down the university’s race-based affirmative action policies, suggesting that the failure to protect Jewish students is part of a broader pattern of discriminatory practices at the institution.
While Harvard has disputed the government’s findings and pointed to its own initiatives to combat antisemitism, federal officials have deemed these efforts insufficient. The university now faces a defining moment, with its reputation and its access to critical federal resources hanging in the balance.
