Justice Department sues Harvard for data as it investigates how race factors into admissions

"WASHINGTON (AP) - The Trump administration is suing Harvard University, saying it has refused to provide admissions records that the Justice Department demanded to ensure the Ivy League school stopped using affirmative action in admissions. In a lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in Massachusetts, the Justice Department said Harvard has "thwarted" efforts to investigate potential discrimination. It accused Harvard of refusing to comply with a federal investigation and asked a judge to order the university to turn over the records."

"Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the department's Civil Rights Division, said Harvard's refusal is a red flag. "If Harvard has stopped discriminating, it should happily share the data necessary to prove it," Dhillon said in a statement. Harvard officials did not immediately comment. The suit is the latest salvo in President Donald Trump's standoff with Harvard, which has faced billions of dollars in funding cuts and other sanctions after it rejected a list of demands from the administration last year."

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit in federal court in Massachusetts after Harvard refused to provide admissions records demanded during a compliance review into possible discrimination. The complaint alleges Harvard "thwarted" investigative efforts and seeks a judge's order to turn over the records. Civil Rights Division leader Harmeet Dhillon called Harvard's refusal a red flag and said Harvard should share data if it has stopped discriminating. Harvard officials did not immediately comment. The suit follows a wider standoff with the Trump administration, which has threatened funding cuts and sanctions after Harvard rejected administration demands. The agency requested five years of admissions data for undergraduate, medical and law applicants, including applicants' grades, test scores and essays.

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