A U.S. federal court has struck down President Donald Trump’s administration’s decision to freeze billions in research grants for Harvard University, ruling that the action violated the school’s free speech rights.
The Ruling
Judge Allison Burroughs of Boston issued the decision on Wednesday, vacating the administration’s funding freeze and barring further attempts to withhold existing payments. Around $2 billion in federal research grants had been revoked in April after the White House accused Harvard of antisemitism, “radical left” ideologies, and racial bias.
“The Court vacates and sets aside the Freeze Orders and Termination Letters as violative of the First Amendment,” Judge Burroughs wrote in her opinion.
Harvard University President Alan Garber said the ruling affirmed the school’s constitutional rights. “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 said.
The judge acknowledged Harvard had tolerated antisemitism for too long, but also concluded that the administration’s true intent was to use the issue as “a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault” on leading universities.
White House Pushback
The White House blasted the decision, calling Judge Burroughs an “activist” appointee of former President Barack Obama. “Harvard does not have a constitutional right to taxpayer dollars and remains ineligible for grants in the future,” assistant press secretary Liz Huston said.
Officials confirmed they would appeal the ruling immediately. Trump has previously threatened to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status and seize patents linked to federally funded research.
While Harvard chose to fight in court, other Ivy League institutions including Columbia, Penn, and Brown reached deals with the Trump administration to preserve their own federal funding.
Harvard originally filed its lawsuit in April, pledging to challenge the funding freeze while also promising to strengthen its fight against antisemitism on campus.
Author’s Opinion
This ruling is about much more than Harvard’s research dollars. It highlights the growing friction between higher education and Washington, where politics and ideology increasingly shape decisions about funding and oversight. While Harvard may have won this battle, the larger war over how much influence government should have over universities is far from over. In the long run, both sides risk turning education into another partisan battlefield, which does little to serve students or the country’s innovation.
Featured image credit: Somesh Kesarla Suresh via Unsplash
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