Overview

• The Justice Department has opened a False Claims Act investigation into whether Harvard's admissions practices defraud the government by violating a Supreme Court ruling that ended affirmative action.
• The Education Department is conducting a compliance review to determine if Harvard's admissions policies involve racial discrimination against undergraduate applicants.
• If found liable under the False Claims Act, Harvard could face penalties, including returning federal funds and paying fines potentially amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars.
• Harvard spokesperson Jonathan Swain stated that the university complies with the Supreme Court ruling and accused the administration of retaliatory actions that threaten academic freedom and national progress.
• The investigations are part of a broader federal campaign leveraging legal and financial measures to pressure Harvard into aligning its policies with the Trump administration's directives.