BOSTON — A U.S. federal court has delivered a decisive blow to the Trump administration, ruling that its decision to halt federal financial aid to Harvard University was illegal. The ruling, issued by U.S. District Court Judge Allison Burroughs in Massachusetts, voids the administration's action from April, which froze and suspended federal grants to the Ivy League institution.
Judge Burroughs’ decision acknowledged that Harvard has been deficient in its response to antisemitism in recent years but stressed that there was “virtually no relationship in reality” between the suspended grants and the issue of antisemitism. She further stated that the federal government used antisemitism as a "smokescreen" to launch an "ideologically motivated attack" on the prestigious university. The court found that this action violated the Administrative Procedure Act, the First Amendment, and the Civil Rights Act.
The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech, while Title VI of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in federally funded programs and activities.
According to the court's decision, the Trump administration sent Harvard a list of ten demands on April 11. These demands included restricting enrollment for foreign students deemed hostile to American values and institutions, and abolishing all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and initiatives related to hiring and admissions. Judge Burroughs noted that only one of the ten demands was even related to the issue of antisemitism.
The administration had initially frozen approximately $2.2 billion in federal funding after Harvard refused to comply with the demands, arguing they were an infringement on academic freedom. Following this, Harvard became the first major U.S. university to sue the Trump administration over the funding cut, seeking an immediate injunction to stop the measure.
In a statement at the time, Harvard President Alan Garber said, "The federal government took several actions after Harvard declined to accept its unlawful demands. Because those actions exceed the government's authority and are unlawful, we have filed suit to stop the suspension of our funding." The federal court’s ruling validates Harvard’s claim, reinforcing the principle that the government cannot use its power to force ideological compliance from educational institutions.
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