Yesterday the Justice Department announced that it has filed suit against the University of California, Los Angeles, alleging that UCLA violated Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act by ignoring harassment and discrimination against Jewish and Israeli students. The complaint (full text) in United States v. Regents of the University of California, (CD CA, filed 5/26/2026), alleges in part:
On April 25, 2024, following months of antisemitic and anti-Israeli demonstrations, masked and armed agitators, many of whom were openly hostile to Jews and Israelis, occupied the heart of the University of California, Los Angeles (“UCLA”) campus. They built an illegal encampment, surrounded it with barriers, and formed “human phalanxes” to block Jews and Israelis from entering academic buildings They kicked and slapped Jews, beat Jews with sticks, and assaulted Jews with pepper spray. One Jewish student was knocked unconscious and was taken to the hospital with an open head wound.
Although UCLA knew that its Jewish and Israeli students risked physical assault when attempting to go to class or the library, UCLA inexplicably took no serious action whatsoever until May 2, 2024, when it finally allowed police to clear the encampment. Chaos ensued. Law-enforcement officers “were met with bursts of pepper spray, protesters wielding fire extinguishers against them, bright strobe lights, and protesters wearing helmets and goggles.”...
The suit asks the court to order UCLA to take various affirmative steps to ensure full and equal access to UCLA’s educational opportunities for Jewish and Israeli students and asks the court to appoint a monitor to oversee UCLA's compliance. The complaint also alleges the UCLA is in breach of provisions in its grant contracts with the federal government that require it to comply with Title VI. It asks the court to declare that because of this breach, the federal government need not make any additional payments to UCLA under its grant contracts, and to order UCLA to repay amounts already received under grant contracts while UCLA was in violation of Title VI.
