Panoramic view of the Baker Library/Bloomberg Center at Harvard Business School in Allston, Massachusetts, on February 17, 2024.
Erica Denhoff | Graphic Sports Line | Graphic Sports Line | Getty Images
Harvard University has failed to convince a U.S. judge to throw out a lawsuit by Jewish students accusing the Ivy League school of allowing its campuses to become bastions of anti-Semitism.
U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns said without ruling on the merits that the plaintiffs had merit in claiming that Harvard’s response to the campus incident was inadequate and that “the facts presented demonstrate that Harvard has failed its Jewish students.” .
Stearns said he also was “sceptical” that Harvard might be hiding its argument that some of the challenged campus activities are protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
student be accused In January, Harvard was accused of selectively enforcing anti-discrimination policies to avoid protecting Jewish students from harassment, ignoring their requests for protection, and hiring professors who support anti-Semitic violence and spread anti-Semitic propaganda.
Harvard and its lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Lawyers for the students did not immediately respond to similar requests.
Stearns uncovered sufficient allegations that Harvard was deliberately indifferent to its Jewish community.
“Concluding that (the complaint) does not reasonably allege willful indifference would reward Harvard with benign public statements that, in light of the allegations in the (complaint), are largely unfounded when it comes to taking disciplinary action against offending students and students. The above proved to be hollow.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction to stop Harvard’s alleged violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits recipients of federal funds from allowing discrimination based on race, religion and national origin.
The filing comes eight days after Claudine Gay, the former president of Harvard University. ResignedShe has been criticized for her handling of anti-Semitism following Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and Israel’s invasion of Gaza in response. Gay also faces plagiarism charges.
