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A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to lift its freeze on nearly $2.2 billion in federal grants to Harvard University, ruling that the move violated the Constitution and federal law.
U.S. District Judge Allison D. Burroughs issued an 84-page order that vacated the administration’s April freeze and subsequent termination of Harvard’s federal research funding. Burroughs said that while Harvard has struggled with antisemitism on campus, the administration’s actions were not a legitimate attempt to address the issue.
“In reality, little connection exists between the research affected by the grant terminations and antisemitism,” Burroughs wrote. “Defendants used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically motivated assault on this country’s premier universities, and did so in a way that runs afoul of the APA, the First Amendment and Title VI.”
Dispute over Trump’s demands
The ruling stemmed from an April 11 letter in which the administration issued 10 demands to Harvard as conditions for keeping its federal funding. Only one dealt directly with antisemitism. Others required the school to:
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Restrict admission of international students deemed “hostile to American values,”
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Allow outside audits of certain departments,
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Eliminate all diversity, equity and inclusion programs,
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And overhaul faculty hiring and curriculum.
When Harvard refused, the administration began terminating grants in early and mid-May.
Burroughs said the government “failed to meet their burden” in showing its actions were non-retaliatory. She noted that none of the termination letters identified a specific instance of antisemitism at Harvard or explained how ending research grants would protect Jewish students.
White House pushes back
The Trump administration quickly vowed to appeal, blasting the decision as judicial overreach.
“Harvard does not have a constitutional right to taxpayer dollars and remains ineligible for grants in the future,” White House spokesperson Liz Huston said. “It is clear that Harvard failed to protect their students from harassment and allowed discrimination to plague their campus for years.”
The Department of Education also criticized the ruling, noting Burroughs had previously sided with Harvard in defending affirmative action — a decision later overturned by the Supreme Court.
“Cleaning up our nation’s universities will be a long road, but worth it,” said Madi Biedermann, a deputy assistant secretary.
Impact on research
Burroughs emphasized the sweeping effects of the freeze.
“Work has been ordered to stop on a vast number of research projects across fields that are critical both nationally and worldwide,” she wrote. “There is no obvious link between the affected projects and antisemitism.”
Her order blocks the administration from issuing further freezes, terminations, or grant denials to Harvard in retaliation for its protected speech or without complying with Title VI, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin.
Neither Harvard nor the Justice Department immediately responded to requests for comment.
Next steps
The ruling marks a major victory for Harvard in its high-stakes legal fight with the Trump administration, but the battle is not over. The White House signaled it will continue pressing its case in the courts — and in the public arena — as part of its broader campaign against elite universities, which Trump has accused of being hostile to conservative values.
