A federal judge in Boston ruled on Wednesday that the Trump administration must reverse its decision to cut more than $2.6 billion in research funding for Harvard University, marking a significant win for the Ivy League institution in its legal battle with the White House.
US District Judge Allison Burroughs determined that the funding cuts were a form of illegal retaliation against Harvard for rejecting the administration’s demands to alter its governance and policies.
The Trump administration had tied the cuts to Harvard’s handling of antisemitism, but the judge found little connection between the university’s federally funded research and the alleged discrimination.
“A review of the administrative record makes it difficult to conclude anything other than that (the government) used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country’s premier universities,” Burroughs wrote in her opinion. The country must fight antisemitism, she wrote, but it also must protect the right to free speech, reports AP/UNB.
The ruling overturns a series of funding freezes that eventually became cuts as the Trump administration escalated its conflict with Harvard. Previously, the administration also attempted to block foreign students from attending the university and threatened to revoke its tax-exempt status, drawing widespread attention from the higher education sector, which was blocked by Burroughs.
While the court’s ruling mandates the restoration of federal funds to Harvard, the actual disbursement of the money remains uncertain. The government has expressed plans to appeal the decision, with White House spokesperson Liz Huston criticizing Burroughs as an “activist Obama-appointed judge.”
Harvard President Alan Garber indicated that further legal challenges may arise, even as he hailed the ruling as a victory for academic freedom. Harvard’s research community had been closely monitoring the case, but many scientists are uncertain when the funds will be fully restored.
The Trump administration and Harvard officials have reportedly been in negotiations over a potential settlement that could resolve investigations and restore federal funding. US President Donald Trump has said he wants Harvard to pay no less than $500 million, though no deal has been reached despite agreements with other universities such as Columbia and Brown.
Harvard’s lawsuit argued that the Trump administration’s actions were retaliatory, stemming from the university’s refusal to comply with demands outlined in an April 11 letter from a federal antisemitism task force. The letter outlined sweeping changes the administration sought regarding campus protests, academics, and admissions.
Following Harvard’s rejection of these demands, the administration froze $2.2 billion in research grants. Education Secretary Linda McMahon later announced that the university would no longer be eligible for new grants.
The judge’s order restores all funding cuts and prevents future ones that would infringe on Harvard’s constitutional rights.
