A U.S. District Judge in Boston has issued a ruling that prevents the Trump administration from freezing over $2.2 billion in federal research funds allocated to Harvard University. This landmark decision comes after a protracted legal dispute, where Harvard argued that the administration’s actions were an unconstitutional attempt to exert control over academic programs through a ‘pressure campaign.’ The judge rejected the administration’s assertion that Harvard violated federal antisemitism guidelines, stating the claims were ideologically motivated and used as a pretext for targeting the university.
The ruling was based on a comprehensive review of the administrative record, which the judge concluded did not support the administration’s allegations. ‘A review of the administrative record makes it difficult to conclude anything other than that defendants used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country’s premier universities,’ the judge wrote in an 84-page decision. Harvard’s legal team had long contested that the Trump administration’s actions were part of a broader effort to undermine academic freedom and impose political pressures on universities.
The decision reinforces the university’s position that it is taking meaningful steps to address antisemitism on campus, and has shown willingness to implement additional measures if necessary. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has maintained that Harvard’s refusal to comply with the federal antisemitism task force’s recommendations justified the funding freeze. Legal experts have noted that the ruling could have significant implications for future cases involving the Trump administration and the federal judiciary.
Since Trump took office in January, the Trump administration has targeted Harvard with investigations from six separate federal agencies — prompting lawyers for the university to argue this year that the efforts were nothing more than a pressure campaign designed to coerce them into compliance with the administration’s policies. Harvard is the only major university to take the Trump administration to court over these efforts.