A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit by the Trump administration seeking to compel Harvard University to hand over detailed admissions records as part of a federal investigation into alleged racial discrimination.
US District Judge Myong J. Joun of the District of Massachusetts dismissed the case without prejudice, finding that the federal government had failed to adequately demonstrate that it followed the required administrative procedures before seeking judicial enforcement.
In his ruling, Joun found that the Department of Justice (DOJ) had not sufficiently established that it notified Harvard of the specific compliance failures and the enforcement action it intended to pursue before filing the lawsuit.
The Department of Education also failed to demonstrate that it had completed the required steps to secure voluntary compliance before referring the matter for judicial enforcement.
The lawsuit sought detailed applicant-level admissions information from Harvard, including academic records, race and ethnicity data, essays and admissions decisions. The requests were part of federal reviews examining whether the university complied with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The judge emphasized that federal agencies must follow established statutory and regulatory procedures before asking courts to enforce administrative information demands.
The dismissal, however, does not prevent the Trump administration from filing another lawsuit after addressing the procedural deficiencies identified by the court.
US Federal Judge Dismisses Trump Administration Lawsuit Seeking Harvard Admissions Records
