Federal judge rules Trump administration’s freezing of $2.2B in grants to Harvard is illegal

ISTANBUL

A federal judge in Boston ruled Wednesday that the Trump administration’s decision to freeze over $2.2 billion in federal research grants to Harvard University was unlawful.

US District Judge Allison Burroughs concluded that move violated Harvard’s free speech rights by attempting to control its academic policies and failed to follow required legal procedures.

The Trump administration had accused the Ivy League school of failing to address antisemitism on campus amid pro-Palestinian protests across US universities. Harvard sued the administration in April after it froze $2.2 billion in funds following the university’s rejection of demands to overhaul admissions, hiring and diversity programs.

"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," Burroughs said in the court filings.

Since taking office in January, the second Trump administration has targeted several prominent universities, claiming that they continue to pursue "woke" policies promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), despite Trump's assertion that such policies are discriminatory and illegal.

It has threatened to withdraw government funding for such universities, among other actions.

Trump has also criticized universities for allowing pro-Palestinian protests, which he alleges are antisemitic.