Court dismisses some allegations but permits key claims to move forward in lawsuit alleging anti-Semitism on campus.
A federal judge has ruled that key discrimination claims against the University of California, Berkeley, can proceed, while dismissing other allegations. The lawsuit, filed by the Louis D. Brandeis Center, Inc. and Jewish Americans for Fairness in Education, accuses UC Berkeley of fostering a hostile environment for Jewish students and faculty.
In an order dated March 31, 2025, Judge James Donato of the Northern District of California found that the plaintiffs plausibly alleged that UC Berkeley engaged in disparate treatment with discriminatory intent and selectively enforced policies to the detriment of Jewish individuals on campus. The court also determined that the university may have been deliberately indifferent to on-campus harassment, allowing claims under the Equal Protection and Free Exercise Clauses, as well as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, to proceed.
The plaintiffs contend that UC Berkeley failed to enforce its anti-discrimination policies in response to incidents of harassment against Jewish students and faculty. They allege that certain student groups\’ actions, purportedly opposing Zionism, were in fact targeted discrimination based on Jewish identity.
However, the court expressed concern over the plaintiffs\’ characterization of Zionism as a central tenet of the Jewish faith, noting that judicial determination of religious doctrines could raise constitutional issues under the Establishment Clause.
UC Berkeley had sought to dismiss the lawsuit in its entirety, but the court\’s decision allows the primary discrimination claims to move forward. The university has not yet responded to the ruling.en.wikipedia.org+1aba.com+1
The case will now proceed to discovery, where both parties will gather evidence to support their claims and defenses.