Judge throws out Trump administration lawsuit seeking Harvard's admissions records

FACTS

A federal judge in Boston on Monday dismissed the Justice Department's lawsuit seeking applicant-level admissions records from Harvard University, the latest court win for the school in its fight with the Trump administration.

U.S. District Judge Myong Joun ruled on narrow procedural grounds that the Justice and Education departments had not shown they followed the required steps to get Harvard to comply voluntarily before suing. "A deadline and a threat to sue, standing alone, do not necessarily demonstrate compliance," he wrote, Politico reports.

Joun said he was not deciding whether Harvard discriminated or whether the government can eventually get the data, and the department can refile after taking the missing steps, CNBC and Bloomberg Law report. The administration says it needs years of applicant data to check whether Harvard still uses race in admissions after the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling.