What happened
A federal judge in Boston Wednesday ruled that the Trump administration's revocation of more than $2 billion in grants to Harvard violated the university's First Amendment rights and federal civil rights and procedural laws. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs ordered the administration to restore Harvard's research grants and barred future cuts that violate her guidance.
Who said what
President Donald Trump launched a government-wide assault on Harvard in April, after the private university rejected his demands for broad internal changes. The White House argued that terminating "nearly a thousand federal grants" for everything from cancer research to efforts to alleviate battlefield injuries was "necessary to compel the university to do more to combat antisemitism," The Washington Post said.
In her ruling, Burroughs said a "review of the administrative record" made it clear the Trump administration "used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically motivated assault on this country's premier universities." The funding cuts and other punitive measures did not target antisemitism, she added, and amounted to "retaliation, unconstitutional conditions and unconstitutional coercion."
What next?
Harvard's "significant victory" in court could "revive" its "sprawling research operation," The Associated Press said, but whether the university "actually receives the federal money remains to be seen." The White House said it would "immediately move to appeal this egregious decision" and insisted Harvard "remains ineligible for grants in the future." Still, the ruling was "an interim rebuff" of Trump's "campaign to remake elite higher education by force," The New York Times said, and it "could give Harvard new leverage" in "parallel settlement talks" with the White House.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Political cartoons for November 30Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include the Saudi-China relationship, MAGA spelled wrong, and more
-
Rothermere’s Telegraph takeover: ‘a right-leaning media powerhouse’Talking Point Deal gives Daily Mail and General Trust more than 50% of circulation in the UK newspaper market
-
The US-Saudi relationship: too big to fail?Talking Point With the Saudis investing $1 trillion into the US, and Trump granting them ‘major non-Nato ally’ status, for now the two countries need each other
-
The US-Saudi relationship: too big to fail?
Talking Point With the Saudis investing $1 trillion into the US, and Trump granting them ‘major non-Nato ally’ status, for now the two countries need each other
-
Could Trump run for a third term?The Explainer Constitutional amendment limits US presidents to two terms, but Trump diehards claim there is a loophole
-
Why do Republicans fear immigration raids in North Carolina?Today’s Big Question Trump’s aggressive enforcement sparks backlash worries
-
Trump tariff uncertainty casts a dark cloud over Black FridayIN THE SPOTLIGHT Retailers and shoppers alike are starting to reassess their seasonal prospects as the Trump administration’s efforts to upturn the global economy start hitting close to home
-
Trump’s Ukraine peace talks advance amid leaked callSpeed Read Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff is set to visit Russia next week
-
Memo signals Trump review of 233k refugeesSpeed Read The memo also ordered all green card applications for the refugees to be halted
-
Judge tosses Trump DOJ cases against Comey, JamesSpeed Read Both cases could potentially be brought again
-
X’s location update exposes international troll industryIn the Spotlight Social media platform’s new transparency feature reveals ‘scope and geographical breadth’ of accounts spreading misinformation
