Harvard University is ramping up its defense against an antisemitism lawsuit from the Trump administration, arguing in a legal filing on Monday that the government is trying for a “do-over” in a case that Harvard already won.
The administration sued Harvard in March, saying that the school violated the rights of Jews and Israelis on campus by ignoring complaints of antisemitism and discrimination. The administration said that Harvard allowed anti-Israel protesters to violate rules “with impunity” after the war in Gaza began in 2023, and accused Harvard of failing to protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment, including assault, stalking and exclusion from libraries and classrooms.
Some of the events that the administration included in its lawsuit have been contested, and last year a number of the episodes were at the heart of another legal dispute between Harvard and the Trump administration. The administration withheld federal grants over allegations that Harvard had not done enough to combat antisemitism, leading Harvard to sue the government to restore the money.
In the earlier case, Judge Allison D. Burroughs of the U.S. District Court in Boston ruled in Harvard’s favor, saying in September that the administration had illegally frozen the grants.
“Harvard is currently, even if belatedly, taking steps it needs to take to combat antisemitism and seems willing to do even more if need be,” the judge wrote at the time.
The Trump administration pledged to appeal Judge Burroughs’ decision. The administration also changed tactics this year, targeting schools with lawsuits to try to force them to comply with the administration’s priorities.
Harvard’s new motion, filed on Monday, argued that the Trump administration’s lawsuit ignored steps that Harvard has taken to address antisemitism. The motion also asks that the March case be transferred to Judge Burroughs, because it is related to last year’s litigation.
“The same parties come before the court with the same core premise,” the school said in its court filing, arguing that the government’s new attempt to end federal funding for Harvard was unconstitutional.
White House spokeswoman Liz Huston said in a statement on Monday that “Harvard University allowed its Jewish students to be targeted, harassed, and discriminated against for years” and that “President Trump is committed to ensuring students can pursue their academic goals in a safe environment.”
In a separate case, the University of Pennsylvania asked a federal judge on Monday in Philadelphia to issue a stay of his own ruling about an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission subpoena for information about Jewish people at the university.
The judge ruled last month in favor of the Trump administration, which issued the subpoena in an investigation of antisemitism at the school. The Trump administration had portrayed the subpoena as an ordinary tool for investigators. The judge agreed it was valid and that Penn had to comply by May 1. But Penn filed a notice of appeal on Monday and asked the judge to let that process unfold before being required to turn over any information to the E.E.O.C.
Alan Blinder contributed reporting.
Mark Arsenault covers higher education for The Times.
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