Trump Govt. probes Harvard Law Review over alleged race-based discrimination

The administration of US President Donald Trump has launched an investigation into Harvard University and its esteemed Harvard Law Review over allegations of race-based discrimination in the selection of articles for publication.

The probe forms part of a wider push by the Trump administration targeting several American higher education institutions, which it has accused of fostering anti-Semitism, anti-white bias, and advancing what it terms “gender ideology” by supporting the rights of transgender students.

Harvard recently had billions of dollars in federal funding frozen after it declined to submit to broad government oversight. In response, the university filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration last week.

On Monday, the civil rights divisions of both the US Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services revealed that they had received complaints concerning the membership and editorial selection procedures of the Harvard Law Review. Officials stated that these practices may contravene Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which bars any institution receiving federal funding from engaging in racial, colour-based, or national origin discrimination.

Craig Trainor, the acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the Department of Education, said in a statement that the Law Review appeared to be considering race in its decision-making processes. “The Trump administration will not permit Harvard, or any other institution, to violate the civil rights of any individual,” he asserted.

Founded in 1887, the Harvard Law Review is a student-run journal that publishes scholarly articles by legal academics and practitioners. It notably made history in 1990 by appointing Barack Obama as its first Black president.

A spokesperson for Harvard Law School, responding to the development, told AFP that the school remains committed to ensuring all its programmes are in full compliance with applicable laws. The spokesperson also affirmed that any credible allegations of wrongdoing would be thoroughly examined. They further clarified that the Harvard Law Review operates independently of the law school and noted that a similar complaint lodged in 2018 had ultimately been dismissed.