UCLA asked a judge Wednesday to dismiss a Department of Justice lawsuit that alleged the university allowed discrimination against Jewish and Israeli students. 

[Related: DOJ launches second suit against UC, alleging antisemitism against UCLA students] 

The lawsuit, which the DOJ filed against the UC in May, alleged that UCLA allowed antisemitic protests on campus following Palestinian political party and militant group Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, which killed about 1,200 people. 

UCLA accused the federal government of unfairly using civil rights laws to control universities in the Wednesday court filing. 

“UCLA has worked tirelessly to foster a safe, secure, and inclusive environment for all students,” the filing states. “The federal government’s Complaint ignores those substantial efforts— confirming that this lawsuit is not really about ensuring compliance with civil rights laws, but about weaponizing those laws to bring institutions of higher education to heel.”

The DOJ claimed in the lawsuit that the spring 2024 Palestine solidarity encampment at UCLA was antisemitic and excluded Jewish students. The DOJ also alleged that the encampment blocked Jewish and Israeli students from entering academic buildings, which the DOJ claimed the university did nothing to stop. 

Pro-Palestine protesters set up the encampment in Dickson Plaza to demand the University divest from companies with ties to the Israeli military. The Israeli military has killed 74,000 Palestinians since its offensive began in October 2023, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Organizers have denied that the encampment was antisemitic, citing that it included Jewish people and celebrated Jewish holidays.

The lawsuit included multiple images of antisemitic statements written on signs and Royce Hall from the encampment. UCLA declared the encampment unlawful April 30, 2024 and police swept it May 2, 2024, arresting more than 200 people.

The federal government has accused UCLA of fostering an antisemitic environment on multiple occasions, with the DOJ also filing a separate suit against the UC in February. The DOJ alleged in that suit that the University created a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli faculty following the Oct. 7 attacks. 

[Related: DOJ files lawsuit against UC for allegedly allowing antisemitic work environment]

The Trump administration also froze $584 million in UCLA’s federal research grants in July 2025, alleging that the university allowed antisemitism, affirmative action and “men to participate in women’s sports.” Chancellor Julio Frenk denied these allegations in a January interview with the Daily Bruin.

[Related: One year after $584 million federal funding freeze, UCLA research still recovering]

In a declaration of support filed with the motion for the dismissal, Frenk detailed the university’s efforts to combat antisemitism since he assumed his role in 2025. These efforts include the Task Force to Combat Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias – which Frenk created in March 2025 – and appointing Steve Lurie, who was LAPD’s liaison for the Los Angeles Jewish community, as UCLA’s vice chancellor for campus and community safety, Frenk said in the declaration. 

“The suggestion that UCLA has been passive in the face of antisemitism is simply wrong,” Frenk said in the declaration. “Combating antisemitism is a moral imperative—one rooted, for me, in personal history that makes indifference unthinkable.”

UC President James Milliken said in a Thursday press release that the lawsuit does not help protect Jewish or Israeli students on campus. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the filing.

“We have enhanced policies across the University of California to strive for safe and welcoming campus environments for all,” he said. “The Department of Justice’s complaint ignores the meaningful action UCLA and Chancellor Frenk have taken to protect our Jewish community.”