Harvard Loses Bid to Toss Lawsuit Over Campus Anti-Semitism

Harvard University on Aug. 6 lost its bid to throw out a lawsuit that accuses university officials of ignoring discrimination against Jewish students and breaching university policies with their handling of pro-Palestinian protests. Facts outlined in the suit, brought by a Jewish student and a nonprofit with students who stand against anti-Semitism, “show that Harvard failed its Jewish students,” U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns said in a 25-page decision. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bars universities that receive federal funds, including Harvard, from intentionally discriminating against students on the ground of national origin. Violations of the law occur when a university exhibits deliberate indifference, or “affirmatively choosing to do the wrong thing, or doing nothing, despite knowing what the law requires,” according to court precedent....