Harvard University Files Lawsuit Against Trump Administration
Washington (USA): Harvard University, one of the world’s most prestigious and wealthiest institutions, has filed a federal lawsuit against the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump. The lawsuit, filed on Monday, marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between higher education institutions and the Trump administration.
The lawsuit has become a prominent topic across major U.S. newspapers, including The New York Times and The Harvard Crimson, the university’s student-run publication. According to The Harvard Crimson, Harvard filed the lawsuit over a $2.2 billion funding freeze imposed by the Trump administration. The university alleges that the White House launched an arbitrary and unconstitutional campaign to “punish Harvard for defending its constitutional rights.”
Notably, the Trump administration had announced an additional $1 billion cut in federal grants and contracts to Harvard just a day before the lawsuit, on top of the previously declared $2.2 billion freeze.
The 51-page complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court, seeks to block the freeze and have the decision declared unlawful. It states, “We stand for the truth that colleges and universities across the country can accept and respect their legal obligations and fulfill their essential role in society without improper government interference.”
Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 informed university colleagues of the lawsuit in a message on Monday afternoon.
The university has also accused federal agencies of bypassing legally required procedures under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
Garber further alleged that the Trump administration used concerns about antisemitism on campus as a pretext for its actions, emphasizing that the law must be followed before any punitive action is taken. He also promised that the long-awaited final reports of two presidential task forces on combating antisemitism and Islamophobia would be released soon.
Representing Harvard in the case are Robert K. Hur ’95 and William A. Burck, both of whom have prior ties to Trump. Hur was appointed to the U.S. Department of Justice during Trump’s first term, while Burck previously served as a lawyer for the Trump Organization. Attorneys from the firms Ropes & Gray and Lehotsky Keller Cohn will also be part of Harvard’s legal team.
