UC asks judge to dismiss DOJ antisemitism suit, calling it 'political coercion'
This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.
See more from the L.A.Times in Google Search.
Set us as preferred In the University of California’s strongest rebuke yet of the Trump administration’s pressure campaign against it, the university is asking a federal judge to throw out a Justice Department lawsuit accusing UCLA of enabling antisemitism, describing the case in court filings as “political coercion.”UC is seeking to block a federal demand for repayment of more than $2 billion in UCLA research grants going back to October 2023, when pro-Palestinian protests erupted on campus after the Hamas attack on Israel and the onset of Israel’s war in Gaza.UC said in court documents that federal authorities are more interested in bringing “institutions of higher education to heel” than in enforcing civil rights.In a 539-page court filing submitted late Wednesday, UC’s lawyers asked U.S.
District Judge Christina A.Snyder in Los Angeles to dismiss the case filed four months ago, alleging the government is “weaponizing” civil rights laws and has no legal basis for the suit.The Justice Department sued in May under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
It alleged UCLA showed “deliberate indifference” to harassment of Jewish and Israeli students from October 2023 through January 2026.The law bars discrimination based on race, color or national origin in programs that receive federal money.
The suit also claims UCLA violated its federal grant terms and asks for the funds to be repaid.UC said in its filing that the federal demand covers more than 2,000 research projects, totaling a sum that far exceeds the $1.2-billion fine sought by the administration in August 2025.That demand came after the government suspended $584 million in UCLA grants over allegations of unaddressed antisemitism.
The Justice Department’s settlement proposal at the time sought sweeping changes to admissions, protest rules an...