The Donald Trump administration is ramping up its fight against elite Harvard University, launching investigations Monday into alleged discriminatory practices at Harvard University’s vaunted law journal. The investigation was launched after a report that the prestigious legal journal was selecting articles for publication based on their authors’ race and not merit.
The Title VI investigation is being conducted by the civil rights offices of both the Education Department and the Department of Health and Human Services, according to New York Post. The announcement comes amid an ongoing dispute between Trump administration and Harvard University, sparked by the administration’s demands that the Ivy League school implement several changes — including eliminating its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and vetting international students for potential ideological concerns.
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Trump investigating Harvard Law review
The Trump administration is launching an investigation into Harvard University's law journal over alleged discriminatory practices, expanding its weeks-long battle over federal funding with the elite institution. The civil rights offices of the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services announced on Monday that they are investigating the Harvard Law Review, a student-run, independent organization that publishes legal scholarship.
The offices are probing reports that Harvard Law Review uses “race-based criteria” in lieu of “merit-based standards” in its journal membership and article selection process. “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,” Craig Trainor, the Education Department’s acting assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a statement.
“Title VI’s demands are clear: recipients of federal financial assistance may not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national origin,” Trainor added. “No institution — no matter its pedigree, prestige, or wealth — is above the law.”
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"Harvard Law School is committed to ensuring that the programs and activities it oversees are in compliance with all applicable laws and to investigating any credibly alleged violations," spokesperson Jeff Neal told Axios in an emailed statement.
“The Trump Administration will not allow Harvard, or any other recipients of federal funds, to trample on anyone’s civil rights.” He noted that the Harvard Law Review is a student-run organization legally independent from the law school.
"A claim brought in 2018 was dismissed by the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts," Neal added. The university and the Harvard Law Review did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment Monday evening.
A spokesperson for Harvard Law School told The New York Post that the school is “committed to ensuring that the programs and activities it oversees are in compliance with all applicable laws and to investigating any credibly alleged violations.”
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“The Harvard Law Review is a student-run organization that is legally independent from the law school,” the spokesperson added, noting that a 2018 discrimination claim was dismissed by a federal court.
The Trump administration argues that awarding opportunities or recognition based on race may unfairly deny other students the educational chances they deserve based on merit, which they deem unacceptable for institutions receiving federal funding.
The probe comes two weeks after the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in federal grants to Harvard over concerns about antisemitism on campus and the Ivy League school’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The university filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration last week, challenging the federal funding freeze.
The Title VI investigation is being conducted by the civil rights offices of both the Education Department and the Department of Health and Human Services, according to New York Post. The announcement comes amid an ongoing dispute between Trump administration and Harvard University, sparked by the administration’s demands that the Ivy League school implement several changes — including eliminating its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and vetting international students for potential ideological concerns.
ALSO READ: Trump’s aggressive approach in his first 100 days threatening democracy and the economy?
Trump investigating Harvard Law review
The Trump administration is launching an investigation into Harvard University's law journal over alleged discriminatory practices, expanding its weeks-long battle over federal funding with the elite institution. The civil rights offices of the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services announced on Monday that they are investigating the Harvard Law Review, a student-run, independent organization that publishes legal scholarship.
The offices are probing reports that Harvard Law Review uses “race-based criteria” in lieu of “merit-based standards” in its journal membership and article selection process. “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,” Craig Trainor, the Education Department’s acting assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a statement.
“Title VI’s demands are clear: recipients of federal financial assistance may not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national origin,” Trainor added. “No institution — no matter its pedigree, prestige, or wealth — is above the law.”
ALSO READ: '100 days of destruction': Elon Musk's alliance with Trump cost him $113,000,000,000 as he nears 130-day DOGE stint
"Harvard Law School is committed to ensuring that the programs and activities it oversees are in compliance with all applicable laws and to investigating any credibly alleged violations," spokesperson Jeff Neal told Axios in an emailed statement.
“The Trump Administration will not allow Harvard, or any other recipients of federal funds, to trample on anyone’s civil rights.” He noted that the Harvard Law Review is a student-run organization legally independent from the law school.
"A claim brought in 2018 was dismissed by the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts," Neal added. The university and the Harvard Law Review did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment Monday evening.
A spokesperson for Harvard Law School told The New York Post that the school is “committed to ensuring that the programs and activities it oversees are in compliance with all applicable laws and to investigating any credibly alleged violations.”
ALSO READ: Trump's new order for US truck drivers has left them worried. Will this create employment barriers?
“The Harvard Law Review is a student-run organization that is legally independent from the law school,” the spokesperson added, noting that a 2018 discrimination claim was dismissed by a federal court.
The Trump administration argues that awarding opportunities or recognition based on race may unfairly deny other students the educational chances they deserve based on merit, which they deem unacceptable for institutions receiving federal funding.
The probe comes two weeks after the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in federal grants to Harvard over concerns about antisemitism on campus and the Ivy League school’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The university filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration last week, challenging the federal funding freeze.
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