트럼프 ‘하버드 압박’ 제동…법원, 반유대주의 사건 소송 기각

A lawsuit filed by the Trump administration against Harvard University for alleged anti-Semitism has been dismissed by a court. The court determined that the administration's evidence was insufficient to prove that Harvard University continued to violate the federal civil rights law. The Justice Department, while not agreeing with the ruling, is reviewing further actions.

U.S. District Court Judge Richard Stoneman, in Massachusetts, accepted Harvard's request to dismiss the lawsuit filed by the Trump administration on November 13. Judge Stoneman found that the administration's listed anti-Semitic incidents were not enough to prove that Harvard was still in violation of the law. The Trump administration had filed the lawsuit in March, alleging that Harvard had failed to address anti-Semitism and discrimination against Jewish and Israeli students, violating Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Title VI prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin by institutions receiving federal financial assistance. The administration claimed that Harvard had effectively ignored the boycott of Israeli students after the 2023 Gaza War. However, Judge Stoneman noted that most of the cases presented in the lawsuit occurred during the 2023-2024 academic year, and subsequent events were "isolated and intermittent," which did not support the claim that Harvard continued to violate the civil rights law.

The Justice Department has not ruled out appealing the ruling. The Department of Justice's civil rights official, Mark Hall, stated that "we disagree with this ruling and are reviewing further actions." This ruling does not end the legal dispute between the Trump administration and Harvard University, as a federal court in Boston ruled in September that the Trump administration's move to cut $2 billion in federal research funding to Harvard was improper. The administration has appealed this decision and the case is ongoing.