Judge overturns Trump administration funding cuts to Harvard

Harvard University gate

A US federal court has overturned billions in funding cuts by President Donald Trump's administration to Harvard University.

Judge Allison Burroughs ruled the government violated the Ivy League college's free speech rights when it revoked around $2bn (£1.5bn) in research funding.

The ruling is a major legal victory for Harvard, but is likely to be appealed. The Trump administration accused the college of antisemitism, "radical left" ideologies and racial bias when it froze the funding in April.

Three other Ivy League colleges, including Columbia University, struck deals with Trump to preserve funding that was at risk due to similar claims by the administration.

Boston-based Judge Burroughs wrote in Wednesday's ruling: "The Court vacates and sets aside the Freeze Orders and Termination Letters as violative of the First Amendment."

She blocked the administration from stopping any more federal funding to the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based college and barred the government from withholding payment on existing grants.

Harvard and the White House did not immediately comment.

Judge Burroughs wrote in her 84-page decision that Harvard should have done more to deal with antisemitism, which she said had "plagued" the institution in recent years.

"Harvard was wrong to tolerate hateful behavior for as long as it did," wrote the judge, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama.

But she said that fighting antisemitism was not the government's "true aim" in penalising the nation's oldest and richest university.

She suggested the government had "used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country's premier universities".

Judge Burroughs has previously blocked Trump's efforts to prevent Harvard from hosting international students.

Harvard sued the Trump administration over the funding freeze in April, while also pledging to fight antisemitism.

Alan Garber, president of the college, said no government "should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue".

Trump has also threatened to revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status and take control of the university's patents stemming from federally funded research.

The Trump administration has been discussing with Harvard a potential deal to allow the university to regain access to federal funding. Trump has said he wants Harvard to pay no less than $500m. – BBC News