U.S. Judge Blocks Trump Administration From Stripping Research Funding From University of California

A federal judge has halted the Trump administration’s attempts to immediately cut research funds and threaten significant fines against the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) citing the government taken part in a “concerted campaign” to “purge ‘woke,’ ‘left’ and ‘socialist’ ideals.

Late on Friday, U.S. District Judge Rita Lin of San Francisco issued a preliminary injunction requested by groups including labor unions and groups representing UC faculty, students and other employees noting there was “overwhelming evidence” submitted illustrating the administration’s actions to wipe out left-leaning viewpoints.

“Agency officials, as well as the President and Vice President, have repeatedly and publicly announced a playbook of initiating civil rights investigations of preeminent universities to justify cutting off federal funding, with the goal of bringing universities to their knees and forcing them to change their ideological tune,” Lin ruled.

“It is undisputed that this precise playbook is now being executed at the University of California,” she added and found the administration to use “coercive and retaliatory conduct in violation of the First Amendment and 10th Amendment” 

This follows the administration’s decision to freeze $584 million in federal funds after accusing the institution of allowing discrimination on campus and violating civil rights law as part of a £1.2 billion settlement claiming UCLA was “acting with deliberate indifference in creating a hostile educational environment for Jewish and Israeli students”.

UCLA President, James. B. Milliken, previously said the nature of the fine would “completely devastate” the university and “inflict great harm on our students and all Californians”.

In recent weeks, a number of high-profile institutions have agreed deals with the administration after deals were proposed to nine prominent schools across the United States. Cornell University were the latest to strike a settlement deal to restore funding.

SEE ALSO: Cornell University Become Latest Institution to Announce Deal With Trump Administration