UCLA case centers on lawsuit against radical groups behind violent encampments, while Stanford case defends postdoctoral researcher who was harassed and defamed Washington, D.C. (January 22, 2026) – Federal courts in California have delivered significant key rulings this week, permitting two major anti-Semitism lawsuits brought by The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law to proceed against entities at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Stanford University. The lawsuit against UCLA attempts to hold National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) and People’s City Council (PCC) liable for their roles in establishing the 2024 anti-Semitic encampment on campus. The Stanford case seeks to hold the university accountable for the alleged defamation, hostility, and harassment of a Jewish and Israeli postdoctoral researcher. “These cases showcase the wide reach and impact of increased anti-Semitism on campuses in California, and we are gratified that the Court recognizes the gravity of the claims alleged in both,” said Hon. Kenneth L. Marcus, chairman of the Brandeis Center and the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education who ran the Office for Civil Rights. “These decisions provide hope that strong, well-argued claims can have success even against powerful, well-funded organizations and higher education institutions. They show us that it is possible for the Jewish community to prevail in court, and we shouldn’t hesitate to use litigation to protect our rights when it is appropriate.” In April 2025, the Brandeis Center filed a lawsuit against NSJP for its role in establishing a violent anti-Semitic encampment on UCLA’s campus. According to the complaint, NSJP, in collaboration with other like-minded organizations, established a fortified encampment on campus, which denied entry to Jews and enforced its entry policies with teams of armed personnel and threats of violence. Tuesday’s ruling rejected NSJP’s argument that the plaintiff’s claims should be dismissed because (a) fear of violence was too minor of an injury to be remedied by a court, and (b) there was no basis for claiming that the organization acted with discriminatory intent. In their rejection, the Court wrote: “there were numerous incidents of violence and exclusion directed at Jews, that the encampment and surrounding areas were covered with antisemitic images and slogans, that organizers targeted buildings named after Jews” and that NSJP had “organizers on the ground helping to lead the encampment.” The Court also found that the sheer volume of alleged incidents of exclusion and violence against Jews sets this case apart from other similar cases. The other lead defendant in the UCLA case, PCC, also moved to have the claims against it dismissed, and its motion was denied. The Court rejected PCC’s argument that the organization’s activities were protected by the First Amendment. In the Stanford case, the Brandeis Center and the law firm Cohen Williams represent Dr. Shay Laps, an Israeli chemist and former Stanford postdoctoral researcher who alleges that Stanford University and Dr. Danny Chou violated his civil rights and defamed him while he was doing insulin research at a lab run by Chou. While working at the Stanford lab, Dr. Laps experienced a hostile environment of anti-Semitism and false allegations of licensing issues. Given the severe nature of the bias against him and the outrageous defamation of his character, Dr. Laps ultimately had no choice but to resign from his position. The court’s ruling on Tuesday denied the defendants’ motion for partial dismissal of the plaintiff’s claims, most prominently that of defamation, and granted the plaintiff permission to file an amended complaint to correct a typographical error related to a key civil rights claim against Stanford. In its ruling, the Court held that the complaint contained “a sufficient degree of specificity” for defamation, and that the law does not require more at this stage of the case. Discovery in both cases, which was already ongoing, will now proceed expeditiously.The Brandeis Center works to advance the civil and human rights of the Jewish people and promote justice for individuals in all sectors, including the workplace, housing, healthcare, public accommodations, government services, unions, academia, and corporations. While the Brandeis Center is most known for its work combating K-12 and campus anti-Semitism – such as recent settlements with Pomona College, UC Berkeley, Nysmith School, and the precedent-setting agreement with Harvard University – the organization has also filed lawsuits and led to successful settlements against anti-Semitic practices at the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys and Ben & Jerry’s, the latter of which culminated in the biggest defeat over the BDS movement. The Brandeis Center was also part of a team that convinced Morningstar to remove anti-Israel bias in its ESG product.