Federal judge dismisses Trump lawsuit seeking Harvard admissions data

Demand for individual applicant records as part of purported civil rights review fails on procedural grounds

A federal district court judge dismissed a lawsuit on Monday filed by the Trump administration seeking individual applicant records from Harvard, finding the government failed to meet procedural requirements before filing the lawsuit against the university.

Judge Myoung J Joun did not rule on the merits of the case, rather he granted a request from Harvard to dismiss the case on procedural grounds, finding that the justice department failed to demonstrate it took necessary steps to seek voluntary compliance before moving for judicial enforcement.