The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a lawsuit Tuesday, September 29, 2026, to compel Harvard University to release faculty hiring records. The lawsuit, filed in Boston federal court, follows a charge filed last year by EEOC Republican Chair Andrea Lucas. The agency is investigating whether the university's employment practices have discriminated against applicants and employees on the basis of race and sex, particularly white men.
The legal action occurs amid a series of disputes between Harvard and President Donald Trump’s administration. The university has alleged that the government is retaliating against the institution for its refusal to align academic and hiring programs with the administration's policy goals. Harvard has previously secured court rulings that blocked administration attempts to end more than $2 billion in federal grants and prevent the university from hosting international students.
In her charge, Lucas alleged that Harvard has engaged in systemic discrimination against white, Asian, male, and straight applicants since 2018 to achieve "demographic diversification of the faculty." The EEOC cited university data indicating that the percentage of white men among tenured faculty decreased from 64% in 2013 to 56% in 2023. The agency stated that while Harvard has provided some documents, it has withheld data regarding all faculty applicants since 2018.
The scale of the investigation involves a university that receives more than $2 billion in annual federal grants. Harvard has stated that it hires based on merit and qualifications, arguing that the agency's probe constitutes "illegal government overreach" and is part of a broader pattern of retaliation.
The EEOC maintains that its investigation is necessary to ensure compliance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination. The lawsuit seeks a judicial order for Harvard to comply with the subpoena. This development follows a separate Friday hearing where a federal judge expressed skepticism toward a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit seeking Harvard's student admissions records. A specific date for the next hearing in the EEOC case has not been reported.