US Justice Department sues UCLA alleging antisemitic educational environment

[u/awaythrowawaying]

https://www.reuters.com/world/us-justice-department-sues-ucla-alleging-antisemitic-educational-environment-2026-05-26/

[u/Achrus]

Jewish students were excluded from portions of the UCLA campus because they refused to denounce their faith.

Title VI does not cover religion. Title VI instead prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin. But not religion.

[u/justafutz → u/Achrus]

http://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/civil-rights-laws/title-vi/title-vi-key-issues/discrimination-based-shared-ancestry-or-ethnic-characteristics

None of the laws that OCR enforces expressly address religious discrimination. However, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI) protects students of any religion from discrimination, including harassment, based on a student’s actual or perceived:

* shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, or

* citizenship or residency in a country with a dominant religion or distinct religious identity.

In practice, this covers religion. Which is why I mentioned it that way instead of getting sucked into the nuances. When it comes to Jews, this is a long established application of Title VI.

[u/Achrus → u/justafutz]

So they’re suing for Israel, not Judaism?

[u/justafutz → u/Achrus]

No. As I explained, religion (especially Judaism) is typically covered by Title VI because of the "shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics" provision.

There are multiple counts in the DOJ complaint. Part of it is discrimination against Israelis on the basis of national origin, which is explicitly protected by Title VI. The second part is:

Title VI prohibits discrimination based on race, including discrimination against Jews or those perceived to be Jewish because of their ancestry.

As I said, Jews are covered by Title VI. So it's both that they're suing over.