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Stand With Us Center v. MIT

From March 2024 to October 2025
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Private college or university)
Cambridge, MA

Identity of Speakers

  • StandWithUs Center for Legal Justice
    Unaffiliated
    Other

    The legal arm of StandWithUs, an international nonprofit organization that advocates for Israel and fights antisemitism.

  • Katerina Boukin
    Student
    Other

    Postdoctoral Associate at MIT's Center for Transportation & Logistics, Plaintiff

  • Marilyn Meyers
    Student
    Other

    Student at MIT, Plaintiff

Resources

Additional Information

  • Incident Nature:
    Lawsuit
  • Incident Political Orientation:
    Not Clear
  • Incident Responses:
    Litigation
  • Incident Status:
    In litigation Federal District Court
    In litigation Federal Court of Appeals
    Dismissed
  • Was Speech Code incident

Summary

In March 2024, the nonprofit StandWithUs Center for Legal Justice filed a federal lawsuit against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, alleging that the university had allowed antisemitism on campus. The plaintiffs claimed that MIT tolerated pro-Palestinian protests and other activity that made Jewish and Israeli students feel harassed, unsafe, or excluded. The complaint cited disruptions of classes, protests outside faculty offices, vandalism, and intimidation in the context of the Israel-Gaza conflict. The lawsuit sought injunctive relief, including requiring MIT to adopt policies addressing antisemitism, disciplining students and staff engaging in such behavior, and publicly condemning antisemitic conduct.

MIT moved to dismiss the case, arguing that the protests were protected speech and did not amount to actionable discrimination. In October 2024, a federal judge agreed with the university, ruling that while the protests might have been uncomfortable or disruptive, they did not meet the legal standard for harassment under federal law. The court held that MIT had not acted with deliberate indifference to discrimination claims and that the university was not required to suppress protected speech.

The case proceeded through the appeals process, and on October 21, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit issued a ruling affirming the lower court’s dismissal. The appellate court emphasized that the alleged incidents, including protests, chants, and other demonstrations, were within MIT students’ and the university community’s speech rights, and that the events cited in the lawsuit did not create a legally actionable hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students.