A sweeping federal lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges that the Trump administration is abusing civil rights laws to stifle academic freedom and free speech in the University of California (UC) system by threatening massive funding cuts and imposing controversial political demands.
“We will not stand by as the Trump administration destroys one of the largest public university higher education systems in the country and bludgeons academic freedom at the University of California, the heart of the revered free speech movement,” said American Association of University Professors (AAUP) President Todd Wolfson. “In this historic lawsuit, faculty, students, and staff walk together to fight the authoritarian takeover of our universities. We stand hand in hand to protect not only our individual rights to free expression, debate, and association, but also to safeguard the health, safety, and economic mobility of our communities – all of which is at risk.”
The suit, brought by a coalition of faculty, staff, students, and every major labor union representing UC employees, argues that the administration is using federal investigations and funding freezes to target institutions viewed as politically unfriendly to Trump’s agenda. The plaintiffs are represented by Democracy Forward and the AAUP.
“The blunt cudgel the Trump administration has repeatedly employed in this attack on the independence of institutions of higher education has been the abrupt, unilateral, and unlawful termination of federal research funding on which those institutions and the public interest rely,” the complaint states.
The legal action comes in the wake of a $1.2 billion fine and funding freeze levied against UCLA, following accusations that the university allowed antisemitism and civil rights violations to flourish on campus. The lawsuit claims the administration’s proposed settlement demanded that UCLA share private student, faculty, and staff data, eliminate diversity scholarships, ban overnight protests, and cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
University of California President James Milliken said Monday that all 10 UC campuses are now under federal investigation. “This represents one of the gravest threats to the University of California in our 157-year history,” Milliken stated, noting the system receives over $17 billion annually in federal funding for research, Medicare and Medicaid, and financial aid.
While the UC system is not a direct party to the lawsuit, spokesperson Stett Holbrook affirmed its support for legal efforts to reverse the freezes. “Federal cuts to research funding threaten lifesaving biomedical research, hamper U.S. economic competitiveness, and jeopardize the health of Americans who depend on the University’s cutting-edge medical science and innovation,” he said.
The administration has imposed similar penalties and probes on elite private institutions including Harvard, Brown, and Columbia, the latter of which agreed to a $200 million fine and saw $400 million in grants restored. Critics argue the administration is using financial leverage to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and reshape higher education in line with its ideological goals.
A spokesperson for the White House dismissed the legal challenge as a ploy by “victimhood-seeking professors,” asserting the administration’s actions are aimed at reducing “unreasonable overhead fees” and ensuring responsible use of public funds.
