The opening salvos in a closely watched and potentially protracted legal showdown between the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university and the Trump administration are expected Monday in a Massachusetts federal courtroom.
While Harvard University’s lawsuit following a $2.2 billion freeze in federal research funding marked an escalation in the ongoing fight between the White House and higher education, legal observers warn the stakes are much higher.
“How long can we go without investments in universities that produce innovations in health or advances that help us deal with climate change or psychological insight to help our communities thrive?” asked Osamudia James, a law professor at the University of North Carolina.
“Or how long can we survive the erosion of democratic norms, erosions to freedom of expression … the independence of universities? The fight is actually bigger than just, oh, how much money does Harvard have? Or how long can it last, or whether it should be getting these grants. What is at stake here is whether an administration can just do whatever it wants to do and punish entities that they perceive as a threat.”
The case will be heard by Judge Allison Burroughs, a Barack Obama appointee and University of Pennsylvania Law School graduate who in 2019 upheld Harvard’s race-conscious admissions process.
Harvard’s lawsuit was filed a week ago, days after the Trump administration announced it was cutting billions of dollars in grants following what the White House said was a breakdown in discussions over combatting antisemitism on campus.