Federal Investigations Target Harvard Over Alleged Race-Based Discrimination
By KIMBERLEE KRUESI
Harvard University finds itself under scrutiny as federal authorities launch investigations into potential racial bias within its renowned Harvard Law Review. The Trump administration announced these probes on Monday, citing reports of discrimination based on race in the operations of the esteemed journal.
This development unfolds amid Harvard’s ongoing battle against a federal funding freeze amounting to $2.2 billion. The freeze was imposed by the Trump administration after the university resisted demands to restrict campus activism. A recent letter to Harvard pressed the institution to clarify its speech policies and urged a review of academic departments accused of fostering antisemitic harassment.
Monday marked the initial courtroom confrontation between the federal government and Harvard over the funding deadlock. Meanwhile, separate announcements from the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services revealed investigations into Harvard Law Review’s membership and article selection policies, potentially violating the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Reports suggest that a Harvard Law Review editor expressed concerns over the predominance of white men responding to an article on police reform. Another editor allegedly advocated for expedited review of a piece due to its minority author. Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor commented, “Harvard Law Review’s article selection process appears to pick winners and losers on the basis of race, employing a spoils system in which the race of the legal scholar is as, if not more, important than the merit of the submission.” He further emphasized, “Title VI’s demands are clear: recipients of federal financial assistance may not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national origin. No institution — no matter its pedigree, prestige, or wealth — is above the law.”
A request for comment was sent to Harvard’s spokesperson on Monday.
Harvard is one of several universities nationwide that witnessed pro-Palestinian protests amidst last year’s Gaza conflict. In response, Republican figures have intensified scrutiny on such institutions. Notably, Ivy League presidents have testified before Congress regarding antisemitism claims. Harvard is the fifth Ivy League school to face the administration’s pressure campaign, alongside funding pauses for the University of Pennsylvania, Brown, and Princeton universities.
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