The U.S. Department of Justice took a definitive stance in the ongoing confrontation at the University of California, Los Angeles, by filing a statement of interest in support of Jewish students' rights. The department's legal move on Monday was detailed in a press release, which highlighted allegations that during the spring of 2024, protesters blocked students and faculty from accessing parts of the UCLA campus based on their religious attire or their refusal to condemn Israel.
The lawsuit points fingers at UCLA administrators for purportedly collaborating with, or at least permitting, protesters to target Jewish individuals - a move that the plaintiffs claim violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, as well as California state law. The DOJ's involvement indicates an assertion that if these allegations are accurate, the university's conduct would indeed breach federal law.
According to an announcement on the Justice Department's website, this response is part of a broader initiative to suppress antisemitism at educational institutions nationwide, noting that the Civil Rights Division's newly minted task force is slated to visit 10 college campuses with histories of antisemitic incidents.
Further enforcing this stance against discrimination, the DOJ has also embarked on an investigation into the broader University of California system to explore the possibility of systemic bias. This comes in the wake of the government's decision to withdraw $400 million in federal aid from Columbia University for what was deemed an inadequate response to similar issues of discrimination against Jewish students. "Discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated in our community," said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph McNally, in the press release.
The leadership from the Justice Department reflects a concerted federal effort to uphold civil liberties for students of all faiths. "The President, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and the Task Force know that every student must be free to attend school without being discriminated against on the basis of their race, religion or national origin," Leo Terrell, Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, stated. The case in question is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Katherine M. Hikida of the Civil Division’s Civil Rights Section and Senior Trial Attorneys Peter W. Beauchamp and Laura C. Tayloe of the Civil Rights Division’s Educational Opportunities Section.
