Attorney General Bondi Slams UCLA Response, Citing Antisemitic Harassment Claims

Feb 25, 2026

Trump administration says UCLA violated civil rights law with 'indifferent' response to antisemitism complaints | EdSource

The U.S. Justice Department has sued the University of California system, accusing UCLA in Los Angeles of allowing antisemitic harassment to affect Jewish and Israeli employees during the 2023–24 campus protest wave. The lawsuit moves one of the nation’s most visible universities into a federal civil rights battle.

At issue is whether UCLA enforced its own protest rules consistently — or permitted conduct that crossed into workplace discrimination during the high-profile encampment period that drew national attention.

According to the Justice Department’s complaint filed in federal court, Jewish employees were subjected to repeated antisemitic taunts, graffiti, and intimidation, and administrators failed to take adequate corrective action under Title VII, the federal workplace discrimination law.

The case also references UCLA’s own internal Antisemitism Task Force findings, raising questions about whether documented concerns translated into enforcement changes as demonstrations intensified on the Los Angeles campus.

“Based on our investigation, UCLA administrators allegedly allowed virulent anti-Semitism to flourish on campus, harming students and staff alike,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said, according to the Justice Department.

UCLA has said antisemitism is “abhorrent” and that it has taken steps to strengthen campus safety and response protocols, but the federal complaint seeks court-ordered reforms, training requirements, and damages for affected employees.

The lawsuit follows earlier legal fallout tied to protest-related access restrictions at UCLA and could trigger broader scrutiny of how universities nationwide balance free expression with anti-discrimination obligations.

UCLA is expected to respond in court in the coming weeks, setting up what could become a closely watched test case for campus protest enforcement in major metropolitan institutions.

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