A federal court has handed Harvard University a major legal win in its long-running fight with the Trump administration, overturning billions in research funding cuts that the school argued were politically motivated.
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs ruled Wednesday that the White House acted unlawfully when it froze and later canceled more than $2.6 billion in federal grants, concluding the measures were “an ideologically-motivated assault on this country’s premier universities.” The government had justified its actions as a response to antisemitism on campus, but Burroughs said Harvard’s research funding bore “little connection” to those allegations.
“A review of the administrative record makes it difficult to conclude anything other than that (the government) used antisemitism as a smokescreen,” she wrote, adding that while the fight against antisemitism is vital, “so is the protection of free speech.”
READ ALSO: Trump administration pressures Harvard to pay massive settlement in antisemitism probe
The decision reverses months of funding freezes that crippled hundreds of projects. Whether the money will immediately flow back to Harvard remains uncertain; White House spokesperson Liz Huston said an appeal is imminent, branding Burroughs an “activist Obama-appointed judge.”
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“To any fair-minded observer, it is clear that Harvard University failed to protect their students from harassment and allowed discrimination to plague their campus for years,” Huston said. “Harvard does not have a constitutional right to taxpayer dollars.”
Harvard President Alan Garber called the ruling validation of the school’s fight for academic freedom but signaled further legal wrangling ahead. “Even as we acknowledge the important principles affirmed in today’s ruling, we will continue to assess the implications of the opinion, monitor further legal developments, and be mindful of the changing landscape in which we seek to fulfill our mission,” he told the campus.
Researchers greeted the judgment with relief tempered by caution. “Many of us are worried that the federal government is going to appeal this decision or find other ways to obstruct the delivery of research dollars,” said Rita Hamad, director of a center focused on social policy and health.
The court fight traces back to an April 11 demand letter from a federal antisemitism task force requiring sweeping changes to campus governance, protests, admissions, and curriculum. Harvard rejected those demands, prompting the Trump administration to freeze $2.2 billion in grants the same day. Education Secretary Linda McMahon later declared Harvard ineligible for new awards, and contracts were terminated under clauses allowing cancellations when projects no longer “align with government policies.”
Burroughs’s order restores all grants withdrawn since April 14 and forbids future cuts that violate the school’s constitutional rights. She agreed Harvard had shown the administration imposed unconstitutional conditions on federal funding and failed to follow procedures mandated by Congress under Title VI of the Higher Education Act.
“As pertains to this case, it is important to recognize and remember that if speech can be curtailed in the name of the Jewish people today, then just as easily the speech of the Jews (and anyone else) can be curtailed when the political winds change direction,” Burroughs warned.
Trump officials maintain the cuts were policy-driven and unrelated to retaliation, insisting that “it is the policy of the United States under the Trump Administration not to fund institutions that fail to adequately address antisemitism.” Meanwhile, informal talks over a potential settlement, including Trump’s demand for at least $500 million from Harvard, have yet to produce a deal.
The ruling follows Burroughs’s earlier injunction blocking federal attempts to bar Harvard from hosting foreign students.
READ ALSO: Trump blasts Harvard for dragging feet on foreign student records
