The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission asked a federal judge to compel Harvard to hand over records in the agency’s investigation into what it described as “systemic discrimination” in the university’s employment practices, particularly against white men. In a lawsuit filed in federal court in Massachusetts, the E.E.O.C. accused the university of noncompliance, escalating a legal battle that had been brewing for more than a year. Lawyers for Harvard have called the E.E.O.C.’s investigation a part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to punish Harvard.

Harvard’s lawyers noted that Andrea Lucas, the Republican chair of the E.E.O.C., filed her civil rights charge against Harvard in April 2025, four days after the university sued the federal government for freezing $2.2 billion in funding. Since becoming the chair, Ms. Lucas has used the agency’s authority to target institutions and companies over their diversity, equity and inclusion practices, filing charges against Nike, the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, The New York Times and Coca-Cola.

The lawsuit is the third this year from the Trump administration against Harvard. In August, a federal judge in Boston dismissed one of the government’s lawsuits against Harvard, in which the Justice Department accused the university of failing to protect Jewish students and faculty from antisemitism. The administration has appealed that ruling. A second lawsuit still pending examines whether the university has illegally refused to produce documents as part of an investigation into admissions policies.

Harvard has also sued the Trump administration to block attempts to cut research funding over demands for more federal oversight into admissions, hiring and curriculum. A federal judge agreed with Harvard, and the White House is appealing.