Overview
- U.S. District Judge Rita F. Lin issued a preliminary injunction directing NIH and multiple federal agencies to reinstate cut awards, with the largest relief at UCLA and effects across all University of California campuses.
- Lin concluded the indefinite suspensions were likely arbitrary and capricious because agencies used unspecific form letters rather than grant-specific justifications.
- The order requires the Justice Department to file by Sept. 29 detailing compliance steps or explaining any claimed infeasibility, and the administration may continue pressing venue and appellate arguments.
- The Trump administration had frozen about $584 million tied to allegations over antisemitism, admissions and gender policies, and it proposed roughly a $1.2 billion payment and broad policy changes to restore funds.
- The ruling restores hundreds of NIH medical research grants—including studies on Parkinson’s, cancer recovery and nerve regeneration—and follows an earlier order that returned about $81 million in NSF funding.