Harvard University failed to persuade a US judge to dismiss a lawsuit in which Jewish students accused the Ivy League school of letting its campus become a bastion of antisemitism.
Without ruling on the merits, US District Judge Richard Stearns said the plaintiffs plausibly alleged that Harvard's response to on-campus incidents was inadequate, and that "the facts as pled show that Harvard failed its Jewish students."
Stearns said he was also "dubious" that Harvard could hide behind the argument that some of the challenged on-campus activity was protected by the US Constitution's First Amendment.
Seeking an injunction
Students sued in January, accusing Harvard of selectively enforcing its anti-discrimination policies to avoid protecting Jewish students from harassment, ignoring their pleas for protection, and hiring professors who supported anti-Jewish violence and spread antisemitic propaganda.
The students sought an injunction to stop Harvard's alleged violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars federal funds recipients from allowing discrimination based on race, religion and national origin.