Harvard Wins Major Court Battle as Judge Reverses $2.6 Billion Trump Funding Cuts
A federal judge in Boston delivered a significant victory to Harvard University on Wednesday, striking down the Trump administration’s decision to cut more than $2.6 billion in research funding and ruling the move was an act of unlawful retaliation .
US District Judge Allison Burroughs found that the administration had violated the law by freezing the funds after Harvard resisted White House demands for sweeping changes to its governance and campus policies . The ruling, if upheld, will restore hundreds of federally funded research projects that have been stalled for months .
The decision marks a turning point in a high-stakes battle between the prestigious university and the Trump administration, which has also included threats to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status and restrictions on foreign students .
The conflict escalated in April after Harvard rejected demands from a federal antisemitism task force for major changes to its policies on protests, academics, and admissions . The administration had accused the university of tolerating antisemitism and leaning too liberal .
In her ruling, Judge Burroughs stated that the administration’s justification for the cuts was a “pretext for unlawful retaliation” and a “smokescreen for a partisan, ideologically-motivated assault on this country’s premier universities” . Harvard President Alan Garber, while vowing to confront antisemitism, has firmly rejected political interference in the university’s affairs .
The White House immediately condemned the ruling and announced its intention to appeal. Spokesperson Liz Huston criticized Judge Burroughs, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, as an “activist judge” who was “always going to rule in Harvard’s favor, regardless of the facts” . Huston maintained that Harvard had failed to protect its students and did not have a “constitutional right to taxpayer dollars” .
The legal fight is far from over, but the ruling provides Harvard with significant leverage in ongoing settlement negotiations with the administration, which have been deadlocked over Trump’s demand that the university pay at least $500 million as part of any deal
