E.E.O.C. Sues Harvard for Data on Diversity in Hiring Practices

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission asked a federal judge to compel Harvard to hand over records in the agency’s investigation into what it described as “systemic discrimination” in the university’s employment practices, particularly against white men.In a lawsuit filed in federal court in Massachusetts, the E.E.O.C.accused the university of noncompliance, escalating a legal battle that has been brewing for more than a year, court filings show.Lawyers for Harvard have called the E.E.O.C.’s investigation part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to bring the university to heel.

“The government has not concealed that its all-out campaign targets Harvard for the assertion of its constitutional rights,” the lawyers wrote in a June motion, which the agency included in the lawsuit filed on Tuesday.Harvard’s lawyers noted that Andrea Lucas, the Republican chair of the E.E.O.C., filed her civil rights charge against Harvard in April 2025, four days after the university sued the federal government for freezing $2.2 billion in funding.Since becoming the E.E.O.C.chair last year, Ms.

Lucas has used the agency’s authority to target institutions and companies over their diversity, equity and inclusion practices, in what she has described as an effort to undo the illegal excesses of the political left.She has filed charges against Nike, the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University, with the latter two related to claims of antisemitism on campus.

She has also pursued discrimination claims against The New York Times and Coca-Cola.“Subpoena enforcement actions are a routine part of the E.E.O.C.’s enforcement process,” said Amanda Smith, a spokeswoman for the agency.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank...