The University of California, Los Angeles (U.C.L.A.) has filed a motion seeking dismissal of a Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit that accuses the university of enabling antisemitism on campus. The lawsuit, initiated by the Trump administration, alleges that U.C.L.A. failed to take adequate measures to protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment during protests in 2024.

The DOJ’s legal challenge, which has been ongoing for more than a year, initially included demands exceeding $1 billion along with various policy changes as conditions for settlement. In the complaint filed in May, the government contended that U.C.L.A. demonstrated “no serious action whatsoever” to address reported harassment, thus violating federal civil rights law.

In response, U.C.L.A. argued in its Wednesday court filing that the government overlooked numerous steps the university had implemented to improve the campus climate. The university stated the lawsuit was less about enforcing civil rights compliance and more about using these laws as political leverage against higher education institutions. U.C.L.A.’s filing urged the court to reject what it described as an attempt to wield governmental authority as a tool for political coercion.

The DOJ had not immediately commented on the filing. U.C.L.A.’s forceful language marked a departure from its typically measured public posture toward the Trump administration.

This case follows a pattern of federal efforts under the previous administration to penalize universities for alleged tolerance of pro-Palestinian activism and related campus controversies. Notably, a similar antisemitism lawsuit against Harvard University was dismissed by a federal judge in Boston last August. The judge ruled that the civil rights statute involved—Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on national origin in federally funded programs—was intended to encourage voluntary compliance rather than to impose punitive measures. The government has appealed that decision. U.C.L.A. cited the Harvard ruling extensively and urged the Los Angeles court to apply the same legal reasoning.

The DOJ has asserted that U.C.L.A. was “deliberately indifferent” to harassment faced by Jewish and Israeli students. U.C.L.A. countered this claim, emphasizing that its responses to campus protest disruptions had been effective and far from indifferent. It criticized the government’s approach as a “head-in-the-sand disregard” for ongoing university efforts to address antisemitism, including revisions to protest policies and the establishment of a campus and community safety office.

Additionally, the university rejected allegations that it breached federal contracts amounting to more than $2 billion, highlighting the significance of research funding to its operations. Under the Trump administration, threats to withhold federal research funds emerged as a frequent tactic aimed at reshaping university policies perceived as unfavorable.

U.C.L.A. is also engaged in other litigation involving the government, including claims that the university violated civil rights protections of some employees. Beyond U.C.L.A., the DOJ has pursued investigations and lawsuits targeting other campuses in the University of California system. For example, last month the department sued over admissions practices at Berkeley’s law school, which Berkeley denies, asserting that no racial discrimination against white and Asian applicants occurred.