BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS — A federal judge has dismissed the Trump administration’s lawsuit seeking to force Harvard University to turn over extensive admissions records as part of an investigation into whether the school continued considering race after the Supreme Court struck down race-conscious admissions in 2023.
U.S. District Judge Myong J. Joun dismissed the case without prejudice, meaning the Justice Department may be able to file it again after correcting procedural deficiencies. Joun emphasized that his ruling did not decide whether Harvard discriminated in admissions or whether the government may ultimately obtain the requested records.
The Justice Department sued Harvard in February, seeking applicant-level information including grades, test scores, admissions decisions, race and ethnicity data, extracurricular activities and personal essays. The department said the records were necessary to determine whether Harvard was complying with the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard.
Harvard maintained that it had already provided substantial information while challenging the scope and relevance of some federal demands.
Joun found that the government had not adequately demonstrated that it followed required procedures before going to court, including formally identifying a compliance violation and establishing that voluntary compliance could not be achieved.
“The Government may be able to identify a qualifying determination or cure the procedural deficiency,” Joun wrote, but he concluded that it had not yet established a sufficient basis for judicial intervention.
The ruling therefore represents a procedural setback for the administration rather than a substantive victory for Harvard on its admissions practices. The Justice Department could renew the case after completing the required administrative steps.
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