While battling health concerns, another major setback has come President Donald Trump’s way. The Trump administration lost it badly in its ongoing battle with Harvard University after a federal judge ruled that the freeze it placed on over $2.6 billion in federal research funding was unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs declared that the administration’s actions reeked of retaliation and coercion, violating the First Amendment, as per Daily Beast. The judge’s ruling overturned the funding freeze and also barred the government from imposing similar restrictions using the same justifications.
This ruling arrives amid Trump’s continuous campaign against Harvard, claiming the university mishandled antisemitism on campus, particularly in relation to protests over Israel’s actions in Gaza, and demanded reforms including admissions policy overhauls and threats to revoke its tax-exempt status.
The roots of this dispute trace back to April 2025, when the Trump administration froze roughly $2.2 billion in research grants and $60 million in contracts, accusing Harvard of failing to protect Jewish students from harassment and antisemitism.
The White House cited violations of civil rights laws as grounds for the drastic measures and pressured Harvard to comply with demands ranging from academic audits to governance changes. Harvard president Alan Garber strongly resisted these orders, emphasizing the university’s autonomy and constitutional protections.
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He stated in a letter to the Harvard community, “No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.”
Judge Burroughs concluded that the government exploited antisemitism concerns as a “smokescreen” for an ideologically motivated assault on leading U.S. universities, thereby violating the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the First Amendment.
The judge emphasized that the federal government “cannot wield billions of dollars in research funding as a weapon to coerce ideological conformity.” Furthermore, Burroughs pointed out that the government failed to provide a reasoned justification for the freeze or consider the broader consequences of disrupting Harvard’s longstanding research programs.
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Harvard’s president reaffirmed the university’s stance following the court decision, describing it as a vindication of academic freedom and constitutional rights. Garber said, “The ruling affirms Harvard’s First Amendment and procedural rights, and validates our arguments in defense of the University’s academic freedom, critical scientific research, and the core principles of American higher education.”
In response, the White House swiftly condemned the court’s decision and announced plans to appeal. Spokesperson Liz Huston criticized Judge Burroughs, describing her as an “activist Obama-appointed judge” allegedly inclined to rule in Harvard’s favor irrespective of facts.
Huston asserted, “We will immediately move to appeal this egregious decision, and we are confident we will ultimately prevail in our efforts to hold Harvard accountable.” She further claimed that Harvard “does not have a constitutional right to taxpayer dollars and remains ineligible for grants in the future.”
Reporter: Why would you not want the best and the brightest from around the world to come to Harvard?
Trump: I do but a lot of the people need remedial math. How can someone who can’t add get into Harvard and then you see those same people picketing and screaming at the US. We… pic.twitter.com/lkdRRd64vY
— Acyn (@Acyn) May 23, 2025
The Trump administration also sought to revoke Harvard’s ability to host international students and threatened to strip the university’s tax-exempt status. Earlier this year, Judge Burroughs issued a temporary order blocking the enforcement of restrictions on international students at Harvard, part of the university’s broader ongoing resistance efforts.
Harvard has continued to stand its ground against the President’s actions, which the university authorities labelled as “the stuff of tyranny.” With the latest judgement going in favor of the esteemed institution, it now remains to be seen how the Trump administration moves forward against the university.
