DOJ Investigates Tennessee Medical School for Stripping Jewish Students of Religious Exam Exemptions

DOJ Launches Civil Rights Investigation Into Lincoln Memorial University Over Alleged Antisemitic Discrimination Against Jewish Medical Students

The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a federal civil rights investigation into Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee, over allegations that its DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine is discriminating against Jewish students.

The investigation, announced on Friday, February 13, 2026, will determine whether the medical school is intentionally preventing Jewish students from completing their exams during the spring semester by eliminating religious holiday exemptions that were previously in place.

At least two Orthodox Jewish doctoral students in the program are affected. The students, who live in Knoxville and follow Orthodox Judaic rules prohibiting driving and using electronics during the Sabbath and other holy days, were able to receive religious exemptions during the fall semester without issue.

However, between the fall and spring semesters, the university changed its exam policy. The new rules state that religious holidays will no longer be exempt from the exam schedule.

Rabbi Yossi Wilhelm of Chabad in Knoxville confirmed that the policy shift now prevents exam excusals on religious holidays, despite allowing them previously.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon issued a strong statement on the matter:

This Department of Justice is fiercely committed to shutting down antisemitism on campuses. When colleges and universities single Jewish students out for adverse treatment, they violate civil rights laws.

Paula M. Stannard, Director of the HHS Office for Civil Rights, added:

All students should learn in environments free from discrimination. Antisemitism has no place in educational institutions.

The investigation is being conducted under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, as Lincoln Memorial University receives substantial federal financial assistance.

Lincoln Memorial University responded by stating that it "firmly upholds the protections established by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act" and "takes seriously our responsibility to ensure equal access and non discrimination in our educational settings."

The investigation comes as part of a broader federal push to combat antisemitism on college campuses, a priority the Trump administration has pursued since taking office. A multiagency task force to address the issue was launched in February 2025.

Federal Government Cracks Down on University Antisemitism as Jewish Students Denied Religious Exam Exemptions in Tennessee

The DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine has campuses in Harrogate, Knoxville, and Orange Park. Last March, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights sent letters to roughly 60 institutions warning that Title VI could be enforced to protect Jewish students, signaling more aggressive federal oversight of antisemitism in higher education.

The Crusader's Opinion

Let us be absolutely clear: if a university changed its exam policy specifically to block Muslim students from observing Ramadan, every news outlet in the Western world would be covering it around the clock. But when Jewish students are singled out and stripped of religious accommodations they already had, suddenly it takes a federal investigation to get anyone to pay attention. This is the hypocrisy of our age. Religious freedom is not a buffet where institutions pick and choose which faiths get accommodated. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob does not bow to an exam schedule. We stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters, and we call on every Christian to recognize that when one faith is targeted, all faiths are at risk. Silence in the face of antisemitism is complicity.

Take Action

• Contact Lincoln Memorial University directly and urge them to reinstate religious holiday exam exemptions: (423) 869 3611
• Write to your U.S. Senators and Representatives asking them to support federal enforcement of Title VI protections for religious students: Find Your Senator
• Support the work of combating antisemitism by donating to organizations like the Anti Defamation League
• Support persecuted Christians and religious minorities worldwide through The Shepherd's Shield
• Pray for the Jewish students at Lincoln Memorial University and share this story with your church community to raise awareness about religious freedom on college campuses