A U.S. federal judge has ruled that the Donald Trump administration unlawfully revoked $2.2bn in research grants given to Harvard University, barring any further attempts to terminate any additional research funding to the oldest university in the country.
U.S. district judge Allison Burroughs in Boston issued the decision on Wednesday which marks a significant legal victory for the Ivy League institution in their ongoing dispute with Donald Trump.
“The Court vacates and sets aside the Freeze Orders and Termination Letters as violative of the First Amendment,” the order states.
“All freezes and terminations of funding to Harvard made pursuant to the Freeze Orders and Termination Letters on or after April 14, 2025 are vacated and set aside.”
Burroughs also stated that the Trump administration had “used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country’s premier universities.”
She added that courts must “ensure that important research is not improperly subjected to arbitrary and procedurally infirm grant terminations, even if doing so risks the wrath of a government committed to its agenda no matter the cost.”
Harvard has found itself at the centre of a broad conflict with the Trump administration this year as the administration sought to target a number of select institutions to enforce change over antisemitic ideologies and diversity initiatives in an effort to gain an increased control over the nation’s higher education.
The Trump administration had previously cancelled grants awarded to Harvard after it argued that campus’ pro-Palestine protests created an unsafe environment for Jewish students and they were failed to be protected.
Alan Garber, Harvard President, released a statement following the ruling stating that the decision “validates our arguments in defense of the University’s academic freedom, critical scientific research, and the core principles of American higher education.”
White House spokesperson Liz Huston revealed that they would appeal the ruling, claiming Harvard “does not have a constitutional right to taxpayer dollars and remains ineligible for grants in the future.”
In recent months, other targeted institutions have struck deals with the Trump administration. For example, Columbia University found an agreement in July where they would pay more than $220 million to the administration and comply with their demands as a result of the allegations of antisemitism on campus.
SEE ALSO: Harvard Removes DEI Websites For Women, Minority and LGBTQ Students
