A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Trump administration’s effort to block Harvard University’s research funding violated the First Amendment, the Administrative Procedure Act and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race and national origin.
The decision marks a significant victory for Harvard in its high-profile clash with the White House. Harvard President Alan Garber had previously said the university filed suit because the demands to reinstate its federal grants were unreasonable and represented an attempt “to control whom we hire and what we teach,” while failing to address antisemitism.
Judge Allison Burroughs sided with the university, writing that the administration’s claims were not consistent with its stated purpose. “The idea that fighting antisemitism is Defendants’ true aim is belied by the fact that the majority of the demands they are making of Harvard to restore its research funding are directed, on their face, at Harvard’s governance, staffing and hiring practices, and admissions policies—all of which have little to do with antisemitism and everything to do with Defendants’ power and political views,” she said in her ruling.
The conflict began in April, when Harvard rejected demands from the White House to overhaul its admissions and disciplinary policies, saying they violated free speech rights. The administration responded by blocking more than $2 billion in federal research grants.
The administration also launched a review of roughly $9 billion in federal contracts and grants at Harvard, citing alleged violations of Title VI in its treatment of Jewish students, particularly during protests tied to the Israel-Hamas conflict that spread across campuses nationwide last year.
In May, Trump announced plans to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status. Later that month, he suggested redirecting $3 billion in federal grants to trade schools. By June, the administration moved to restrict Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign students, a policy that remains under legal challenge.
The White House criticized the ruling and pledged to appeal. Spokesperson Liz Huston said in a statement that the administration would “immediately move to appeal this egregious decision, and we are confident we will ultimately prevail in our efforts to hold Harvard accountable.”
She added, “Just as President Trump correctly predicted on the day of the hearing, this activist Obama-appointed judge was always going to rule in Harvard’s favor, regardless of the facts. To any fair-minded observer, it is clear that Harvard University failed to protect their students from harassment and allowed discrimination to plague their campus for years. Harvard does not have a constitutional right to taxpayer dollars and remains ineligible for grants in the future.”
