The U.S. Department of Education today opened a second front in its campaign against San Jose State University, announcing its civil rights division has opened investigations of allegations of antisemitic harassment at San Jose State and San Francisco State University.
In its announcement, federal officials said they will seek to determine if the universities violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The Office of Civil Rights said it had “received complaints that Jewish students were subjected to hostile environments on the campuses of both universities.”
“SJSU students have allegedly been threatened, shunned, and made to feel unwelcome in classrooms because of their Jewish ancestry,” the office said in a statement today. “Reports of anti-Israel protests disrupting classes and displacing students and staff, as well as physical attacks on Jewish students, have increased since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack in Israel.”
The latest action by the Trump Administration against San Jose State follows threats in January of a withdrawal of federal funding because of the university’s response to a controversy over a transgender athlete on the women’s volleyball team.
In March, the California State University system filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to block the federal action, calling the federal penalty "lawless overreach," based on existing Ninth Circuit judicial precedents and Department of Education interpretations under President Joe Biden.
The lawsuit remains pending in federal court. The university system and the Trump Administration agreed to a court-approved stipulation that blocks the federal government from cutting off roughly $130 million in annual student federal funding while the litigation proceeds.
In today’s press release, the Department of Education said, “One email from SJSU’s Vice President for Student Affairs and Former Interim Chief Diversity Officer purportedly made the distinction between “good Jews” and “bad Jews” based on their support of the Israeli government.” The department identified similar complaints that have been filed against San Francisco State.
“Both SJSU and SFSU have reportedly failed to acknowledge or meaningfully respond to cases of antisemitic harassment on campus, seeming, in some instances, even to condone such abhorrent acts,” the department said today. “The same California leaders who wax eloquent about their commitment to ‘equity’ and ‘social justice’ appear to turn their backs on violent, harmful acts of antisemitic intimidation and harassment,” said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey in a statement. “We will investigate these allegations, ensure the safety of Jewish students, and protect the right of every student in America to an education free from discrimination.”
On Jan. 29, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order titled Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism, stating that it is “the policy of the United States to combat antisemitism vigorously, using all available and appropriate legal tools.”
Title VI and its implementing regulations prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in educational programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.
The California State University system filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on March 6, 2026, to block federal threats to strip San José State University of funding. The dispute centers on a Department of Education demanding that San Jose State sign a Title IX resolution agreement over its past inclusion of a transgender volleyball player. The lawsuit argues that subsequent 2025 executive orders by President Trump cannot be applied retroactively to penalize the institution for adhering to past laws.
