UC Berkeley to pay $1M, overhaul policies after antisemitism lawsuit settlement

The university will make changes to its policies on antisemitism after settling a lawsuit with the Brandeis Center.

Mar. 20, 2026 at 3:48am

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The University of California, Berkeley, will pay $1 million and make changes to its policies on antisemitism after settling a lawsuit with the Brandeis Center. The $1 million penalty will act as a reimbursement to the Brandeis Center for outside attorneys' fees. Under the settlement, UC Berkeley is to prohibit discrimination and harassment based on an individual's actual or perceived religion, shared ancestry, shared ethnicity and/or national or ethnic origin, specifically Jewish or Israeli. The university has also agreed to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.

Why it matters

This settlement reflects UC Berkeley's efforts to combat antisemitic expression, harassment, and discrimination on campus. The lawsuit highlighted several incidents of antisemitic harassment against Jewish students and professors, raising concerns about the university's handling of these issues. The changes to UC Berkeley's policies aim to better protect Jewish students and faculty from discrimination.

The details

Under the settlement, UC Berkeley will pay $1 million to the Brandeis Center as reimbursement for outside attorneys' fees. The university has agreed to prohibit discrimination and harassment based on religion, ancestry, ethnicity, and national origin, specifically targeting Jewish or Israeli individuals. UC Berkeley will also adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism and review its policies to ensure terms like 'Zionism' or 'Zionists' are not used as proxies for targeting Jews or Israelis.

  • The lawsuit was initially filed in 2023.
  • In March 2025, a protest in Berkeley followed the arrest of Palestinian student protester Mahmoud Khalil.
  • In February 2025, the Justice Department formed a task force specifically focused on fighting antisemitism.
  • In 2026, the settlement was reached, with UC Berkeley agreeing to the changes.

The players

University of California, Berkeley

A public research university located in Berkeley, California.

Brandeis Center

A non-profit organization that filed the lawsuit against UC Berkeley for its handling of antisemitism on campus.

Hon. Kenneth L. Marcus

The chairman of the Brandeis Center and the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education who ran the Office for Civil Rights.

Paul Eckles

The senior litigation counsel at the Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law.

Donald Trump

The former President of the United States who signed an executive order aimed at combating antisemitism.

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What they’re saying

“This settlement reflects UC Berkeley's long-standing values and objectives when it comes to combating abhorrent antisemitic expression, harassment, and discrimination when it occurs on the Berkeley campus.”

— UC Berkeley

“What happened at Berkeley is a cautionary tale. Universities, unions, corporations, and political parties cannot create an anti-Zionist exception to their conduct codes. They cannot silence Jewish Americans on the pretext of advancing their own political agendas. As we have now seen time and again, if left unaddressed antisemitic bigotry, whether or not masked as anti-Zionism, only continues to expand.”

— Hon. Kenneth L. Marcus, Chairman of the Brandeis Center

“I think it was the power of their stories and just the clear impact that real tangible antisemitism had on them and their experience at the school that ultimately paved the way for the settlement and convinced UC Berkeley to adopt the reforms in the agreement.”

— Paul Eckles, Senior Litigation Counsel at the Brandeis Center

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This settlement highlights the ongoing challenges universities face in addressing antisemitism on campus and the importance of adopting clear policies to protect Jewish students and faculty from discrimination and harassment. The changes at UC Berkeley could serve as a model for other institutions grappling with similar issues.