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Harvard Argues to Restore $2.5 Billion in Research Funding at Court Hearing

Harvard is urging Judge Burroughs to find the funding freeze unlawful after negotiations with the White House collapsed.

A view of the Business School campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., April 15, 2025.   REUTERS/Faith Ninivaggi/File Photo
People walk past the Widener Library on the Harvard Campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on June 4.
A view of Harvard campus on John F. Kennedy Street at Harvard University is pictured in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., December 7, 2023. REUTERS/Faith Ninivaggi/File Photo
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Overview

  • On July 21 in Boston federal court, Harvard presented oral arguments for its summary judgment request to restore about $2.5 billion in canceled research grants.
  • Harvard contends the administration’s actions violate the First Amendment and Title VI by using grant funding as leverage over its governance and academic programs.
  • The Department of Justice argued the court lacks jurisdiction and defended the freeze as a lawful measure to pressure the university on its response to campus antisemitism.
  • More than 950 research grants supporting critical medical, scientific and technological projects have been jeopardized by the funding suspension.
  • Legal observers say Judge Burroughs’s ruling will set a precedent for federal oversight of campus policies and the balance between academic freedom and government authority.