US Court restores $2bn in federal grants to Harvard after Trump-era freeze

A US federal court has struck down billions of dollars in funding cuts imposed on Harvard University by the Trump administration, ruling that the move violated the school’s constitutional rights.

Judge Allison Burroughs of the District of Massachusetts on Wednesday overturned the freeze on about $2 billion in research grants, describing the government’s actions as an attack on free speech.

“The Court vacates and sets aside the Freeze Orders and Termination Letters as violative of the First Amendment,” Judge Burroughs wrote in her 84-page decision.

The ruling bars the administration from halting further funding or withholding payments on existing grants.

Clash Over Antisemitism Claims

The Trump White House froze the grants in April, accusing Harvard of tolerating antisemitism, promoting “radical left” ideologies, and practicing racial bias. Three other Ivy League universities—Columbia, Penn, and Brown—avoided litigation by striking deals with the administration to preserve their funding.

Judge Burroughs acknowledged that antisemitism had “plagued” Harvard in recent years and said the university had been “wrong to tolerate hateful behavior for as long as it did.”

But she added that the administration’s real objective was political:

“Fighting antisemitism was not the Trump administration’s true aim … it used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically motivated assault on this country’s premier universities.”

White House Reaction

The White House immediately vowed to appeal, calling the ruling “egregious.”

Assistant press secretary Liz Huston said:

“Harvard does not have a constitutional right to taxpayer dollars and remains ineligible for grants in the future.”

She dismissed Judge Burroughs as an “activist” appointed by former President Barack Obama who was “never going to rule in [Trump’s] favor.”

Harvard’s Response

Harvard President Alan Garber welcomed the decision, saying it affirmed both the university’s First Amendment protections and its procedural rights.

“We will continue to assess the implications of the opinion, monitor further legal developments, and be mindful of the changing landscape in which we seek to fulfill our mission,” Garber said.

He added that while Harvard remains committed to addressing antisemitism on campus, no government should dictate “what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.”

Wider Battle

The funding freeze was part of a broader campaign by former President Trump to pressure elite universities. He has previously threatened to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status and seize control of patents tied to federally funded research.

Judge Burroughs has also blocked earlier Trump efforts to prevent Harvard from hosting international students.

Despite the ruling, negotiations between the government and Harvard over a possible settlement reportedly continue. Trump has suggested the university should pay no less than $500 million in order to restore long-term federal funding.

BBC