WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2026 — The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit Thursday against Harvard University, alleging the school unlawfully withheld admissions records sought as part of a federal civil rights compliance review.
The complaint, filed by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, seeks to compel Harvard to turn over documents and data related to its admissions process, including information tied to race, ethnicity and diversity initiatives. Federal officials said the materials are necessary to determine whether the university is complying with federal civil rights laws following the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, which struck down race-conscious admissions policies.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the department is pressing educational institutions to adhere strictly to federal law.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, this Department of Justice is demanding better from our nation’s educational institutions,” Bondi said in a statement. “Harvard has failed to disclose the data we need to ensure that its admissions are free of discrimination — we will continue fighting to put merit over DEI across America.”
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon, who leads the Civil Rights Division, said the university’s alleged refusal to provide requested information has hindered the department’s review.
“The Justice Department will not allow universities to flout our nation’s federal civil rights laws by refusing to provide the information required for our review,” Dhillon said. “Providing requested data is a basic expectation of any credible compliance process, and refusal to cooperate creates concerns about university practices. If Harvard has stopped discriminating, it should happily share the data necessary to prove it.”
According to the lawsuit, Harvard “slow-walked” its production of documents and declined to provide certain materials requested by the department. These include individualized applicant-level admissions data, internal admissions policies, and correspondence referencing race, ethnicity, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and communications related to Students for Fair Admissions.
The Justice Department alleges that Harvard, which receives federal funding, violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by failing to comply with requests made as part of a compliance review. Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.
The suit further contends that by failing to produce documents in a timely and complete manner — or to provide access to applicant-level admissions data — Harvard breached a material term of its federal financial assistance agreement with the department.
The lawsuit does not accuse Harvard of racial discrimination. Instead, it seeks a court order requiring the university to provide documents related to any consideration of race in admissions.
A spokesperson for Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
2026.2.13 Harvard Access Complaint-v.pdf
Note: View complaint here.
