Big news in higher education yesterday, with Harvard landing a legal win against the Trump Administration that had cost the university billions in research funding.
We updated you last week on the many battles universities around the country are facing, including hefty politically motivated fines and research funding being held for ransom by the federal government.
One of the biggest targets for the Trump Administration was Harvard, which faced more than $2 billion in research funding cuts that the administration claimed stemmed from antisemitism violations.
On Sept. 3, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs issued a ruling that said the Trump Administration’s freezing of these funds was unconstitutional and was a violation of Harvard’s First Amendment rights that amounted to “retaliation, unconstitutional conditions, and unconstitutional coercion.”
As Judge Burroughs wrote in her ruling:
“We must fight against antisemitism, but we equally need to protect our rights, including our right to free speech, and neither goal should nor needs to be sacrificed on the altar of the other. Harvard is currently, even if belatedly, taking steps it needs to take to combat antisemitism and seems willing to do even more if need be.”
“Now it is the job of the courts to similarly step up, to act to safeguard academic freedom and freedom of speech as required by the Constitution, and to 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.”
Judge Burroughs’s ruling is only part of fighting a much broader attack on higher education. But her words carry weight and show a path forward to fighting back against “arbitrary” attacks that could be devastating for universities that get caught in the crosshairs of the Trump Administration.
Just today, the news broke that Northwestern President Michael Schill will step down as his campus also battled antisemitism claims from the Trump Administration and had seen nearly $800 million in research funding freezes.
The attacks on higher education are only growing by the day. But those of us who believe in free thought and free speech have the ability to fight back.
Thank you, Judge Burroughs, for helping shine a little light on a way forward