On February 24, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against the Regents of the University of California in federal court. The DOJ alleges that UCLA violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act by failing to address a hostile work environment affecting Jewish and Israeli employees following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack and subsequent campus protests. The complaint alleges that UCLA ignored threats, antisemitic harassment, and other discriminatory conduct directed at faculty and staff, and failed to adequately investigate or respond to internal complaints. The DOJ seeks injunctive relief requiring UCLA to revise and enforce its anti-discrimination and anti-retaliation policies, as well as damages for affected employees.
The lawsuit arises from broader federal scrutiny of UCLA’s response to antisemitic incidents following the October 7, 2023, attack. In July 2025, the DOJ determined that UCLA violated Title VI and the Equal Protection Clause by acting with deliberate indifference to harassment of Jewish and Israeli students during campus protests, particularly in connection with a 2024 protest encampment that allegedly restricted some students’ access to campus spaces. The February 2026 complaint extends the government’s focus to alleged discrimination affecting faculty and staff under Title VII.