A federal judge on Wednesday invalidated the Trump administration’s freeze of billions in federal grants to Harvard University, marking a significant victory for the Ivy League institution in its protracted battle with the White House.
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs restored more than $2.2 billion in research funding after determining the administration’s actions violated both federal law and First Amendment protections. Harvard, joined by employee groups, had filed suit soon after the freeze was announced in April.
“Defendants and the President are right to combat antisemitism and to use all lawful means to do so. Harvard was wrong to tolerate hateful behavior for as long as it did,” Burroughs wrote in her 84-page ruling. “The record here, however, does not reflect that fighting antisemitism was Defendants’ true aim in acting against Harvard and, even if it were, combatting antisemitism cannot be accomplished on the back of the First Amendment.”
The Trump administration tied the funding pause to allegations that Harvard had failed to adequately address antisemitism on campus. Federal officials later escalated the freeze into outright cuts, threatening the survival of hundreds of research projects. Burroughs, however, said the rationale was a pretext for a broader political campaign.
“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,” she wrote.
The administration has pursued multiple avenues against Harvard, including threats to strip its tax-exempt status, revoke accreditation, and limit its ability to enroll international students. In 2020, Burroughs also blocked an attempt to bar foreign students from Harvard classrooms, a case now on appeal.
Reports indicate the White House has been negotiating with Harvard leaders over a possible settlement, with President Donald Trump demanding at least $500 million to resolve ongoing disputes. Similar deals have already been reached with Columbia and Brown universities. Whether the new ruling alters those talks remains unclear.
Burroughs framed her decision as essential to preserving academic freedom, warning that government overreach into university governance sets a dangerous precedent.
“As pertains to this case, it is important to recognize and remember that if speech can be curtailed in the name of the Jewish people today, then just as easily the speech of the Jews (and anyone else) can be curtailed when the political winds change direction,” she wrote.
For Harvard, the ruling restores crucial research support and bolsters its broader legal fight with the administration. For higher education leaders nationwide, it underscores concerns about political interference in academic institutions.
