Justice Department sues UCLA for the third time, alleges antisemitism against students
Key takeaways
- District Court for the Central District of California, alleges UCLA violated federal civil rights by tolerating a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
- The department is also asking for the court to force reforms to UCLA’s antidiscrimination procedures.
- The legal filing also alleges that campus leaders have failed to protect Jewish and Israeli students up through this year.
UCLA in Westwood. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times) By Jaweed Kaleem Staff Writer Follow May 26, 2026 2:39 PM PT 7 min Click here to listen to this article Share via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X Linked In Threads Reddit Whats App Copy Link URL Copied! Print 0:00 0:00 1x This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.
The Trump administration on Tuesday sued the University of California alleging that UCLA is “deliberately indifferent” to antisemitic harassment of Jewish students, marking the government’s third lawsuit against the UC system this year and a sharp escalation of federal civil rights pressure on the nation’s largest public research university.
The 53-page complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleges UCLA violated federal civil rights by tolerating a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. The attack prompted Israel’s war in Gaza, which drew widespread student protests and pro-Palestinian encampments that spring, including one at UCLA that was the site of a violent melee the night of April 30 2024.