Federal judge blocks Harvard data demand

U.S. District Judge Myong Joun dismissed a lawsuit against Harvard University on Monday. The case stemmed from a federal demand for admissions records. The Justice Department sought the data to verify that the Ivy League school stopped using affirmative action. The judge ruled the government failed to follow necessary procedural steps before filing suit.

The Justice Department accused Harvard of thwarting its investigation into potential discrimination. Officials stated the university refused to comply with a federal review. The department asked a judge to order the university to turn over the records. Joun determined the agency did not advise Harvard of its failure to comply first. He noted the agency must determine that compliance cannot be secured by voluntary means before taking enforcement action.

Joun wrote that the ruling does not end the dispute over the data. He explained that he decided a limited question regarding whether the government satisfied the prerequisites to judicial enforcement. The ruling does not determine whether Harvard has discriminated. It also does not decide if the agencies may lawfully seek applicant-level data or if Harvard must ultimately provide it.

Neither Harvard nor the Department of Justice responded to a request for comment. This decision marks the latest setback for the Trump administration in its ongoing conflict with the university. The administration has faced defeats in federal courts over billions of dollars in funding cuts. It also lost a lawsuit accusing the university of antisemitism.

Trump officials said they are acting against Harvard over allegations of anti-Jewish bias on campus. Harvard officials describe the conflict as unconstitutional retaliation. They claim they are being penalized for refusing to adopt the administration’s ideological views.

The Justice Department launched a compliance review of Harvard’s admissions practices in 2025. The agency demanded five years of admissions data for applicants to undergraduate, medical, and law schools. The request included grades, test scores, essays, extracurricular activities, and admissions outcomes. The department also sought race and ethnicity data. Officials stated they need this information to determine if Harvard continues considering race in admissions decisions.

The Supreme Court barred affirmative action in admissions in 2023. That decision followed lawsuits challenging the practice at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. The effort against Harvard is part of a wider campaign by the administration against colleges accused of considering race. In October, the Justice Department found the University of California, Los Angeles, law school illegally considered race in admissions. A similar finding had previously targeted the university’s medical school. The administration has also accused UC Berkeley Law School and the University of California, San Diego, medical school of illegally discriminating against white and Asian applicants.