Judge dismisses Trump administration's lawsuit seeking Harvard admissions data

A federal judge in Boston on Monday dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit that sought to force Harvard University to turn over records for an investigation into whether it continues to consider race in admissions.

U.S. District Judge Myong Joun ruled on narrow, procedural grounds. He agreed with Harvard that the department sued without taking the legally required steps to seek the university's voluntary compliance first. He wrote that the complaint does not allege the department told Harvard it would go to court if Harvard did not comply.

The judge said the decision does not resolve whether the Justice Department and the Education Department could ultimately seek applicant-level data on students who applied to Harvard. He wrote that those questions "remain open" and that the ruling does not turn the government's request into an accusation of present discrimination or settle Harvard's underlying Title VI compliance.

Harvard has said it turned over information. The government has said it did not include the applicant-level data it sought. The Justice Department did not immediately comment on the ruling, and Harvard did not immediately respond to requests for comment, according to Reuters. The department filed the case in February.

Because the dismissal rests on procedure, the Justice Department may be able to try again after taking the required administrative steps.

(The photo is a file photo of the John Harvard statue in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is not a photo of the courthouse or of today's events.)