The Department of Justice is opening an investigation into the University of California to assess if the university system has allowed an antisemitic hostile work environment to exist on its campus.
The investigation is being sanctioned under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which grants the Justice Department the authority to investigate state and local government employees suspected of engaging in a “pattern or practice” of employment discrimination.
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“Our country has witnessed a disturbing rise of Antisemitism at educational institutions in California and nationwide,” Acting Associate Attorney General and Department of Justice Chief of Staff Chad Mizelle said in a press release. “The Department of Justice is committed to upholding Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and protecting Jewish Americans as we investigate this potential pattern of discrimination.”
Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Leo Terrell says instances of antisemitic incidents on college campuses have been rampant following the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attacks in Israel, which spurred the Israel-Hamas war.
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“The impact upon UC’s students has been the subject of considerable media attention and multiple federal investigations,” Terrell said in a press release. “But these campuses are also workplaces, and the Jewish faculty and staff employed there deserve a working environment free of antisemitic hostility and hate. The President, the Attorney General and this Task Force are committed to combatting antisemitism for all Jewish Americans.”
Meanwhile, the Department of Education, which is currently under threat by the Trump administration, has opened over 100 civil rights investigations into universities and school districts since the October 7 terrorist attacks.