Overview:
Harvard secured a major legal victory when a federal judge overturned the Trump administration’s freeze on more than $2 billion in federal research funding, ruling the action a violation of constitutional rights and academic freedom.
In a landmark victory, a federal judge has sided with Harvard University to restore more than $2 billion in frozen federal funding for research for the Ivy League school.
US District Judge Allison Burroughs delivered a major victory to Harvard University and rejected the Trump administration’s argument that they froze the billions in research due to antisemitism on the campus.
“A review of the administrative record makes it difficult to conclude anything other than that defendants used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country’s premier universities,” wrote Burroughs, an appointee of former President Barack Obama.
Harvard University was the only university targeted by the administration that took them to court, arguing for academic freedom, federal funding for post-secondary education, and campus oversight.
Burroughs, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, continued to criticize the freezing of federal funds as a disregard for rights under the Constitution.
“Their actions have jeopardized decades of research and the welfare of all those who could stand to benefit from that research, as well as reflect a disregard for the rights protected by the Constitution and federal statutes,” Burroughs added.
In the argument in July of this year, the attorney for Harvard University, Steven Lehotsky, argued that the Trump administration was withholding funding in an attempt to coerce the university to give up its autonomy. In a letter dated April of this year to the school community, President Alan M. Garber wrote, “The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.”
While Justice Department senior attorney Michael Velchik argued that the administration had the right to halt funding at any time due to contractual terms.
This is not the only case Harvard University has brought against the Trump administration. They also filed a separate lawsuit over the Trump administration’s attempts to prevent the school from hosting international students.
Judge Burroughs, in rejecting the effort to block funding, also struck down the “Freeze Order” issued by the Trump administration in April. That order would have suspended more than $2 billion in multi-year grants to the university and prohibited the government from withholding additional federal funds from Harvard in retaliation for exercising its First Amendment rights, or on any alleged grounds of discrimination without adhering to the requirements of Title VI.
Neither the White House nor Harvard responded immediately to requests for comment.
