Case Studies: Driving Accountability in Campus Antisemitism
Antisemitism Litigation Law Services is dedicated to bringing greater attention to key legal actions taking place in the fight against antisemitism in US higher education. By developing a systematic approach for monitoring, recording, and publicizing cases, we hope to raise awareness, empower advocates, and increase institutional accountability. This Case Studies page provides brief but comprehensive summaries of select litigation efforts that we believe will be of interest. Each section includes background material, relevant legal citations, and a summary of outcomes where appropriate. These examples are intended to provide insight into the ongoing legal battle against antisemitism to protect Jewish students and defend civil rights on university campuses across the country.
Case Study: Doe v. University of California, Berkeley
In 2022, Jewish students at University of California, Berkeley filed a federal suit (Doe v. UC Berkeley), claiming that several campus chapters systematically discriminated, creating a hostile environment by excluding students and posting antisemitic graffiti. The plaintiff, represented by a coalition of civil rights attorneys, pointed to a lack of school response to repeated complaints as a key issue. The case raised enough prominent flags to prompt the U.S. Department of Education to launch a Title VI investigation. In the wake of the suit, UC Berkeley updated campus protocols, increased anti-bias training, and created an antisemitism taskforce. The settlement includes an apology to harmed students, and an agreement to overhaul reporting protocols for hate incidents.
Case Study: Steinberg v. Columbia University
In 2023, a graduate student, Sarah Steinberg, along with some of her peers, claimed that their university officials did not adequately address repeated antisemitic intimidation. This lawsuit, which was filed in the Southern District of New York, described instances of defamatory posters and other forms of bias in the classroom and online harassment. This claim sought to enforce Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and asked for injunctive relief. Columbia replied by initiating an independent review of its discrimination policies and review processes and enhanced support services for its Jewish students. Subsequently, the court approved a consent decree requiring Columbia to provide mandatory anti-discrimination workshops and to submit annual reports detailing progress to an oversight committee. This case formed the foundation for urban academic institutions’ responsibility and liability in relation to antisemitic harassment.
Case Study: Title VI Investigation at Rutgers University
Early in 2021, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights launched an investigation into Rutgers University under Title VI after students and advocacy groups complained of widespread antisemitic acts. The complaint alleged that Jewish student centers were vandalized multiple times, derogatory language used in student forums, administrative response efforts lacking in propriety, and more. The case concluded with a resolution agreement between Rutgers and the Department of Education wherein the University promised: trainings for faculty and staff on addressing antisemitic bias, regular climate survey distribution (to address how well the anti-bias policies are being implemented), and an overhauling of its system for handling discrimination complaints. This case was a testament to the power of federal intervention in enhancing campus protection and a step other Universities can take if they experience similar issues.
Case Study: Goldberg v. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The 2020 lawsuit in Goldberg v. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, filed by a Jewish student group and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, alleged ongoing antisemitic harassment through physical intimidation, obstruction of Jewish expression on campus by bigoted vandalism or removal of Jewish student fliers, exclusion from student groups, and online harassment. Plaintiffs claimed failure to act amounted to deliberate indifference constituting an ongoing violation of Title VI protections. Settling the case after months of litigation and press coverage, the university also agreed to create a campus-wide antisemitism task force, to issue annual hate incident reports, and to expand available resources for affected students. Today the matter remains a cornerstone example of coordinated, multifactored legal action against antisemitism on campus.
Case Study: Federal FOIA Litigation – Accessing Campus Hate Crime Data
Recognizing the importance of public accountability, Antisemitism Litigation Law Services, on behalf of client Citizens for Ethical and Responsible Student Government, submitted Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to secure transparency in records of hate crime investigations at numerous major universities, including Harvard, UCLA, and University of Michigan. Where initial requests were denied or delayed, our attorneys commenced federal FOIA litigation to compel the disclosure of documents describing the universities’ treatment of antisemitic incidents and adherence to federal law on documenting hate crime incidents. These post-litigation document disclosures shed light on campus culture and administrative practices, informing both public discourse and future advocacy. In addition to helping to promote accountability, Antisemitism Litigation Law Services’ FOIA litigation efforts helped empower students and families seeking a safe, welcoming college experience.
Case Study: Levin v. Princeton University
Initially filed in 2021, Levin v. Princeton University focused on charges that Princeton looked the other way while antisemitic rhetoric took place multiple times at student government and academic panels. The plaintiff, Rachel Levin, alleged that further discrimination was tacitly allowed by the administration’s failure to act, creating a hostile environment for the students involved. After a widely publicized trial, the Court forced Princeton to update its event monitoring policies, create bias reporting tools and offer counseling for impacted students. The verdict reinforced an organization’s legal responsibilities under federal anti-discrimination law and showed how impactful individual litigation can be in this setting.
Case Study: Community Submission – Ongoing Litigation at the University of Virginia
Community members notified Antisemitism Litigation Law Services of a pending case against the University of Virginia, where multiple Jewish student organizations report targeted harassment and unequal treatment by faculty advisors. The case currently resides in the Eastern District of Virginia and the plaintiffs seek monetary damages and systemic reform. Already, the initial filings have triggered the university to begin reviewing its anti-discrimination training programs and to collaborate with independent evaluators on goal setting for a better campus climate. We continue to track this case as it unfolds and welcome the public’s submission of additional updates or documentation to [email protected].
The Impact of Litigation: Lessons Learned and Next Steps
The factual scenarios, case law excerpts, and allegations described above show that litigation has been an important tool in challenging antisemitism and promoting policy change on US college campuses. In each case, litigation not only produced concrete results – policy and legislative changes, transparency, and enhanced professional support for Jewish students – but also helped to spur the development of a national conversation about academic civil rights in this area of human rights. At our Antisemitism Litigation Law Services group at TULC, we believe that legal advocacy and community organizing are still necessary tools for upholding accountability and encouraging change in antisemitism cases. We urge students, families, advocates, and concerned citizens to stay alert, stay engaged, and add their voices to our chorus by forwarding us new reports.
How to Report a New Case or Get Involved
Antisemitism Litigation Law Services provides a one-stop shop for monitoring, publicizing, and supporting litigation challenging antisemitism on university campuses across the United States. If you have heard about a new prosecution, investigation, or other development, please send your information our way. Submissions are simple and confidential. Email us at [email protected]. For more information, resources, or to search a full database of our cases, please go to https://antisemitismlitigation.com/, call us at (332) 872-9905, or write us at 400 Madison Ave Fl 53, New York NY 10017. We will bring about justice (and safer, more welcoming campus communities all around the country).