Trump administration unlawfully cut Harvard's funding, judge rules

A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration unlawfully terminated about $2.2 billion in grants awarded to Harvard University and can no longer cut off research funding to the prestigious Ivy League school.

The decision, by U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston, marked a major legal victory for Harvard as it seeks to cut a deal that could bring an end to the White House's multi-front conflict with the nation's oldest and richest university. 

On April 11, Trump administration officials sent a letter to Harvard, demanding that the university eliminate antisemitism on campus and dismantle diversity initiatives that favor certain minority groups. 

On April 14, after Harvard rejected the administration's demands, the Trump administration announced a freeze on $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and $60 million in multi-year contract value to the university.

On August 26, during a cabinet meeting, Trump renewed his call for Harvard to settle with the administration and pay "nothing less than $500 million," saying the school had "been very bad." 

Three other Ivy League schools have made deals with the administration, including Columbia University, which agreed to pay $220 million to restore federal research money that had been denied in July because of allegations the university allowed antisemitism to fester on campus.

As with Columbia, the Trump administration took actions against Harvard related to the pro-Palestinian protest movement that roiled its campus and other universities in the wake of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and Israel's war in Gaza.

Harvard has said it has taken steps to ensure its campus is welcoming to Jewish and Israeli students, who it acknowledges experienced "vicious and reprehensible" treatment following the onset of Israel's war in Gaza.

The administration's decision to cancel grants was one of many actions it has taken against Harvard. It has also sought to bar international students from attending the school; threatened Harvard's accreditation status; and opened the door to cutting off more funds by finding it violated federal civil rights law.

In an earlier case, Burroughs barred the administration from halting Harvard's ability to host international students, who comprise about a quarter of the school's student body.

(With input from agencies)