A federal judge has struck down the Trump administration’s decision to strip Harvard University of billions in federal research grants, ruling that the move violated the Ivy League school’s First Amendment rights.
The case centered on a freeze ordered in April, when the administration revoked roughly $2 billion in funding and accused Harvard of tolerating antisemitism, promoting “radical left” ideologies, and engaging in racial bias. While Columbia, Penn, and Brown negotiated deals to preserve their own grants, Harvard chose to fight.
In an 84-page opinion issued Wednesday, Judge Allison Burroughs of the U.S. District Court in Boston vacated the government’s freeze orders and barred further attempts to cut funding. “The Court vacates and sets aside the Freeze Orders and Termination Letters as violative of the First Amendment,” she wrote, blocking officials from withholding payment on existing grants.
The ruling, however, was not unqualified praise for Harvard. Burroughs criticized the university for failing to address antisemitism on its campus, saying such problems had “plagued” the institution. Still, she concluded that the administration’s actions were less about combating hatred and more about targeting elite universities for ideological reasons. “Antisemitism was used as a smokescreen,” she wrote, describing the cuts as a politically motivated assault.
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The White House swiftly vowed to appeal. “Harvard does not have a constitutional right to taxpayer dollars and remains ineligible for grants in the future,” said Liz Huston, assistant press secretary. She denounced the decision as “egregious” and branded Burroughs, an Obama appointee, an activist judge.
Harvard welcomed the outcome. “The ruling affirms Harvard’s First Amendment and procedural rights,” said Alan Garber, the university’s president, in a statement. He added that the school would “continue to assess the implications of the opinion” while monitoring further legal developments.
The decision marks a significant setback for the administration’s broader campaign to pressure universities it has accused of ideological bias. With billions at stake and the political overtones unmistakable, the dispute is now poised to move to a higher court, keeping Harvard—and the future of federal funding for American universities—squarely in the national spotlight.