Trump Administration Takes Harvard To Court Over Alleged Race Bias In Admissions

Last Updated:February 13, 2026, 21:53 IST

The move comes less than two weeks after Trump said his administration was seeking $1 billion from Harvard to settle various probes into the university’s policies.

The Donald Trump administration filed a lawsuit against Harvard University, accusing the Ivy League institution of failing to comply with a federal investigation into whether it illegally considered race in its admissions process.

The lawsuit seeks to compel Harvard to hand over documents related to admissions policies and internal correspondence concerning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes.

Read more: In First Reaction, Tarique Rahman Thanks Supporters After BNP’s Landslide Win: ‘Grateful’

The US Department of Justice said Harvard had “repeatedly slow-walked the pace of production and refused to produce pertinent data and documents," including materials tied to admissions criteria and DEI initiatives that the administration has targeted.

According to the complaint, the requested records are intended to help determine whether Harvard is complying with a 2023 ruling by the US Supreme Court that declared race-conscious college admissions programmes unconstitutional.

The Justice Department said the lawsuit was brought “solely to compel Harvard to produce documents relating to any consideration of race in admission" and clarified that it does not accuse the university of discriminatory conduct, nor does it seek monetary damages or revocation of federal funding at this stage.

Read more: UK Warns Dual British Nationals: Can’t Enter Country After February 25 Without British Passport

The move comes less than two weeks after Trump said his administration was seeking $1 billion from Harvard to settle various probes into the university’s policies. That followed a news report indicating that Trump had dropped an earlier demand for payment from the institution.

The White House has been threatening to withhold federal funds from Harvard and several other universities over a range of issues, including pro-Palestinian protests related to Israel’s war in Gaza, campus diversity initiatives and policies concerning transgender students.

Last year, the administration attempted to cancel hundreds of research grants awarded to Harvard scholars, arguing that the university had not done enough to address alleged harassment of Jewish students on campus. Harvard responded by filing a lawsuit challenging the move.

Efforts by the Trump administration to freeze federal funding to Harvard have faced legal resistance and negotiations between the two sides have so far failed to produce a settlement.

News world Trump Administration Takes Harvard To Court Over Alleged Race Bias In Admissions

Read More