Lincoln Memorial University Settles With Federal Gov’t Following Jewish Discrimination Investigation

Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee has reached a federal settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice and Department of Health and Human Services following a probe into alleged discrimination against its Jewish students.

The settlement resolves a joint investigation which revealed that the Easter DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (LMU-DCOM) denied Jewish students’ requests to reschedule classes and exams so they could celebrate their religious holidays during the 2025-2026 academic year, while granting requests by non-Jewish students seeking the same accommodations, the DOJ announced Tuesday.

“Students of all ethnic and religious backgrounds — including Jewish students — should receive the same treatment at our nation’s universities,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said in a statement, according to the DOJ press release. “As its Jewish students prepare this week to observe Yom Kippur, we commend Lincoln Memorial University for its swift action addressing the Department’s concerns regarding discrimination and unequal treatment.”

An LMU spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a Wednesday statement that the university has “worked for months in good faith with the Department of Justice to reach an amicable result to this investigation.”

“We are pleased we were able to resolve this in a manner that is fair to all parties involved,” the spokesperson said. “Our policies are in place to maintain our high academic standards while also making sure they meet the needs of our entire diverse student body. LMU does not tolerate antisemitism or discrimination against any student.”

“We remain committed to providing an exceptional educational experience for every student,” the spokesperson added. “Their success remains at the heart of our mission.”

Under the settlement agreement, LMU-DCOM will update its absence policy to ensure that religious absences are eligible for excused status on the same basis as non-religious absences, according to the DOJ. Students whose absences are approved as excused will not face any academic or other penalties as a result of those absences.

LMU-DCOM will also provide education to students, administrators, professors, faculty and staff on the newly revised absence policy, according to the Department. Additionally, LMU will revoke all penalties previously imposed on Jewish students who were improperly denied religious accommodations during the 2025-2026 academic year, per the news release.

“HHS’ Office for Civil Rights is committed to eliminating antisemitism and religious discrimination—a commitment we underscored earlier this month by issuing guidance on discrimination rooted in antisemitism to entities that receive HHS funding,” Director Paula M. Stannard of the HHS Office for Civil Rights said in a statement, per the DOJ’s press release. “Our nation’s future healthcare professionals should be able to pursue their training without compromising their faith or their civil rights.”

“Through our joint action with the Department of Justice, Lincoln Memorial University is ending practices that penalized Jewish students and will establish clear protections for religious accommodations moving forward,” Stannard added.

The DOJ announced in February that it had launched an investigation into LMU “to determine whether the university is engaged in discrimination against its Jewish students.”