Judge Dismisses Trump Administration Lawsuit Alleging Harvard Failed to Protect Jewish Students

U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration against Harvard University, which had alleged the school failed to protect Jewish students from antisemitism in violation of federal civil rights law. The ruling was reported on August 13-14, 2026, by multiple outlets including the Associated Press, PBS NewsHour, CBS News, and NBC News. Judge Stearns found that the Trump administration failed to prove an ongoing violation of federal civil rights laws. According to the ruling, alleged incidents of antisemitism at Harvard were "too isolated and episodic" to support a claim of a continuing civil rights violation. The lawsuit was one of several actions the administration has taken against Harvard since President Trump returned to office, part of a broader pattern that has also included attempts to cancel billions of dollars in federal funding to the university. The dismissal represents a setback for the administration's legal efforts against Harvard, though the broader funding dispute between the administration and the university remains a separate and apparently unresolved matter, as reported by CBS News. It is not specified in available reporting whether the administration intends to appeal the dismissal or pursue alternative legal or administrative actions against Harvard. Details of the underlying antisemitism allegations and any further proceedings were not fully outlined in the available coverage.