Harvard Admissions Case Dismissed

What happened

Updated Nov 2, 7:59pm ET

A federal judge dismissed the Trump administration’s lawsuit seeking Harvard admissions records. The Justice Department said it would refile the lawsuit. The department sought the records to investigate whether Harvard still considered race and complied with civil-rights law after the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling against race-conscious admissions. The administration said Harvard delayed and withheld materials; Harvard said it had provided many documents and objected to broad demands involving sensitive applicant information. Judge Myong J. Joun said the government had not completed required steps to seek voluntary compliance before suing. The dismissal did not decide whether Harvard discriminated or must provide records. Because it was without prejudice, the government can pursue them again.

How the left told it

Left-leaning outlets cast the case as a pressure fight over Harvard and stressed the ruling’s procedural limits. CNN framed Harvard as a top target of the administration’s use of government power against universities. The New York Times emphasized Judge Myong J. Joun’s procedural reasoning and Harvard’s claim that the demands went too far.

How the right told it

Only one right-leaning outlet we track covered this: Washington Times, under the headline “Harvard beats Justice Department in court case over affirmative action data”.