The Justice Department on Friday filed a lawsuit against Harvard University in a federal court in Massachusetts over its refusal to turn over admissions records.
The DOJ alleges that the school illegally withheld detailed admissions records so the government could verify that it had ended its race-based admissions practices after a Supreme Court ruling in 2023 banning these enrollment methods.
The lawsuit asks a judge to compel Harvard to turn over applicant-level data from its college, law school, and medical school, according to a Justice Department press release.
Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a statement noting that the Justice Department under President Donald Trump “is demanding better from our nation’s educational institutions” and that Harvard “has failed to disclose the data we need to ensure that its admissions are free of discrimination.”
“We will continue fighting to put merit over DEI across America,” Bondi concluded.
"Under President Trump’s leadership, this Department of Justice is demanding better from our nation’s educational institutions. Harvard has failed to disclose the data we need to ensure that its admissions are free of discrimination — we will continue fighting to put merit over…
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) February 13, 2026
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The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division opened a review of Harvard’s practices in April 2025 to determine whether the school “continued to discriminate based on race” despite the Supreme Court’s ruling against affirmative action. The agency had demanded to see five years of applicant-level admissions data, including academic records, test scores, essays, extracurriculars, and demographic information.
However, Harvard only provided public documents and aggregated statistics that “failed to meet the scope of its requests,” the Justice Department claimed. The lawsuit argues that Harvard is a federal funding recipient, which means it is required to cooperate with the DOJ’s civil rights review under Title VI.
Justice Department Sues Harvard University for Withholding Race-Related Admissions Documents https://t.co/z4qheDdYdC pic.twitter.com/hrHQrJ5Szb
— DOJ Civil Rights Division (@CivilRights) February 13, 2026
The Justice Department accuses Harvard of constantly delaying the release of the requested documents. It alleges that the school “has obstructed the Department’s attempts to investigate possible discrimination” and has “delayed the production of documents and has refused to supply relevant information concerning admissions decisions at the applicant level.”
The lawsuit further states the school “has slow-walked the pace of [document] production and refused to provide pertinent applicant-level data.”
The lawsuit stresses that the Justice Department is not accusing Harvard of continuing to engage in discriminatory conduct, but is only asking the court to force the school to “produce documents related to any consideration of race in admissions.”
This case is part of a larger conflict between the Trump administration and elite universities over DEI-driven practices. The administration has
Harvard insisted that it is complying with the Supreme Court ruling and federal law. Its leadership cited new training for admissions officers, more controls on who can access race and ethnicity data, and revised essay prompts.
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