A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration must restore nearly $2 billion in frozen federal funding intended for Harvard University, emphasizing the judiciary's responsibility to protect academic freedom.
US District Judge Allison Burroughs on Wednesday dismissed the Trump administration's argument that its attacks on universities were motivated by concerns over anti-Semitism on college campuses.
In her ruling, she described President Donald Trump and his appointees' actions as a "smokescreen" for a "targeted, ideologically motivated assault" on leading universities in the country.
In April, the Trump administration issued a freeze order on billions in grants as part of a broader campaign against notable colleges that hosted protests over the ongoing genocidal war in Gaza.
Burroughs stated that the need to combat anti-Semitism must be balanced with the protection of free speech, asserting that neither goal should come at the expense of the other.
She pointed out that the funding freeze failed to differentiate between projects and the presence of anti-Semitic activity in those labs.
“The funding freezes could and likely will harm the very people Defendants professed to be protecting,” Burroughs wrote.
The judge, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, encouraged her colleagues to uphold campus speech protections. “It is the job of the courts to safeguard academic freedom and freedom of speech as required by the Constitution,” she said.
“We must ensure that important research is not improperly subjected to arbitrary and procedurally flawed grant terminations, even if doing so risks the wrath of a government committed to its agenda.”
In response, White House spokesperson Liz Huston reiterated the Trump administration's commitment to its stance against Harvard.
“Just as President Trump correctly predicted on the day of the hearing, this activist Obama-appointed judge was always going to rule in Harvard’s favor, regardless of the facts,” she remarked.
“Harvard does not have a constitutional right to taxpayer dollars and remains ineligible for grants in the future.”
Source:Websites
