The Education Dept. Tried to Draw a Line Between Free Speech and Discrimination. It’s Still Blurry.

When the Office for Civil Rights issued a letter this month reminding colleges that federal law bars discrimination on the basis of shared ancestry and ethnic characteristics, reactions ranged from celebration to concern. Where some saw the letter as a sign that the U.S. Department of Education won’t tolerate the antisemitic incidents that have multiplied on campuses since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, others warned it could be used to justify a crackdown on protests that have criticized Israel’s response to the attack.