Judge Dismisses Trump Lawsuit Demanding Harvard Admissions Data

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTTrump administration officials had sought admissions data from Harvard, including student application essays, to see if the school was complying with a court decision banning affirmative action.Harvard’s campus in Cambridge, Mass. The Trump administration’s pressure campaign against Harvard has lasted over a year. Credit...Lucy Lu for The New York TimesNov. 2, 2026, 3:13 p.m. ETA federal judge granted Harvard University’s motion to dismiss a Trump administration lawsuit that sought to force the school to turn over admissions documents for a government discrimination investigation.The administration sued Harvard in February, accusing the university of trying to stymie a federal review of the school’s admissions procedures by withholding documents that the government wanted — among them, application essays written by individual students.Harvard “slow-walked the pace of production” of documents and refused to provide others related to applicant-level admissions decisions, the administration said in its suit.A federal district judge in Boston, Myong J. Joun, wrote in an order on Monday that the administration had not cleared procedural hurdles to satisfy a court order for the materials.“The ruling does not determine whether Harvard has discriminated, whether the agencies may lawfully seek appropriately defined applicant-level data, or whether Harvard may ultimately be required to provide such data,” the judge wrote.The university, in court filings, said the administration’s demands went too far. The school portrayed the lawsuit as “part of the Trump administration’s ongoing campaign against Harvard” to try to force it into negotiations. The school has said that it has complied with federal law in its admissions processes.Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. Trump officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.Michael C. Bender contributed reporting.Mark Arsenault covers higher education for The Times.Related ContentAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT