The Trump administration on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the University of California, alleging that antisemitism at its Los Angeles campus violated the civil rights of Jewish employees and created a “hostile work environment.”
The legal action, brought nearly seven months after the Justice Department demanded sweeping policy changes and more than $1 billion from the university, marks a sharp escalation in the administration’s clash with one of the country’s largest and most prominent public university systems.
In the 81-page complaint, filed in federal court in Los Angeles, the administration accused UCLA leaders of “turn[ing] a blind eye to — and at times facilitat[ing] — grossly antisemitic acts”. At the same time, it “systematically ignores cries for help from its own terrified Jewish and Israeli employees.”
“UCLA failed to live up to its systemwide commitment to diversity and equal opportunity when it stood by as Jewish employees were subjected to harassment,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement. “The federal government has an obligation to step in and ensure a discrimination-free environment at our universities.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi said UCLA administrators “allegedly allowed virulent anti-Semitism to flourish on campus, harming students and staff alike,” and said the newest lawsuit “underscores that this Department of Justice stands strong against hate and anti-Semitism in all its vile forms.”
The Trump administration has gone after the University of California, launching multiple civil rights investigations since President Donald Trump took office in 2025.
Federal scrutiny of UCLA intensified last summer when the Justice Department issued the university a notice of violation, accusing campus leaders of showing “deliberate indifference” toward what it described as a hostile climate for Jewish and Israeli students. The notice was delivered the same day the university resolved a separate federal lawsuit brought by Jewish students alleging discrimination.
In the weeks that followed, the Trump administration outlined a sweeping settlement proposal that included a $1 billion penalty, an additional $172 million to establish a compensation fund for alleged victims of antisemitism, and a series of policy changes aimed at reshaping campus governance and priorities in line with administration expectations.
Negotiations ultimately broke down. In November 2025, a federal judge in San Francisco curtailed one of the administration’s primary sources of leverage, ruling that officials could not broadly threaten research funding cuts as a pressure tactic in disputes with universities.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday stops short of demanding a specific monetary penalty but asks the court to consider “awarding damages” to “aggrieved Jewish and Israeli UCLA employees.”
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“The litany of vile acts of antisemitism that allegedly took place, and continue to take place, at UCLA are, if found to be true, a mark of shame against the University of California,” Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general overseeing civil rights enforcement for the Trump administration, said in a written statement. “The Justice Department will ensure that UCLA maintains an environment for its employees free from antisemitic harassment.”
Mary Osako, vice chancellor for strategic communications at UCLA, told the Washington Examiner that UCLA has “taken concrete and significant steps to strengthen campus safety, enforce policies, and combat antisemitism in a systemic and sustained manner.” The university system has invested in enhanced coordination, preparedness, and response to issues and established the “Initiative to Combat Antisemitism with a clear mandate to implement meaningful institutional change. They have also “reorganized our Office of Civil Rights and hired a dedicated Title VI/Title VII officer to ensure professionalized oversight and accountability.”
“We stand firmly by the decisive actions we have taken to combat antisemitism in all its forms, and we will vigorously defend our efforts and our unwavering commitment to providing a safe, inclusive environment for all members of our community,” she said.
