U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs of Massachusetts, an Obama appointee, ruled on Wednesday that the Trump administration's freezing of $2.2 billion in research funding for Harvard University violated its constitutional rights and must be restored.
BREAKING: U.S. District Court Judge Allison Burroughs has just BLOCKED the Trump administration from terminating $2.2 BILLION in grants to Harvard.
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) September 3, 2025
This judge is an OBAMA nominee, no surprises there.
When do we get to call this what it is, a JUDICIAL COUP!
It MUST be stopped! pic.twitter.com/3AQXwGjXUE
🚨 BREAKING: A federal judge just ruled President Trump “illegally” blocked $2.2 BILLION in grants to Harvard
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 3, 2025
So essentially, US taxpayers are being FORCED to subsidize woke indoctrination camps to the tune of BILLIONS
START. IMPEACHING. JUDGES! pic.twitter.com/7oMNslQv8D
She wrote in her decision that “Harvard was wrong to tolerate hateful behavior for as long as it did,” yet found that the federal government had “used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country’s premier universities.” She held that the government’s conduct violated the First Amendment, the Civil Rights Act, and the Administrative Procedure Act, and “jeopardized decades of research.”
Harvard is still wary of its future and now hostile political enviroment, with Harvard President Alan Garber saying "Our principles will guide us on the path forward.”
The Trump administration has vowed to appeal the ruling.
“To any fair-minded observer, it is clear that Harvard University failed to protect their students from harassment and allowed discrimination to plague their campus for years. We are confident we will ultimately prevail in our efforts to hold Harvard accountable,” a White House Spokeswoman said.
Harvard's financial future remains a question, according to the Wall Street Journal. While the judge ordered that the federal government restore the $2.2 billion in research funding, and to not freeze any additional funding, a spokesperson for the White House said that Harvard has “does not have a constitutional right to taxpayer dollars.” Hinting that new grants or additional funding simply won't be allocated to the University
The ruling comes amid ongoing negotiations between Harvard and the administration over anti-Semitism and diversity-related issues, where President Trump has stated that he wants "nothing less than $500 million" from Harvard as a financial settlement or penalty.