Overview

• U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs ruled the administration’s freeze unlawful, citing First Amendment violations and ordering the release of roughly $2.2 billion in research grants.
• In her opinion, she described the measures as a targeted, ideologically motivated attack on leading universities and barred further retaliatory funding stops against Harvard.
• The White House said it will file an immediate appeal and criticized the judge as an activist appointee, asserting Harvard has no constitutional right to taxpayer money.
• The decision builds on earlier orders that preserved Harvard’s ability to enroll international students despite related government efforts to restrict visas and admissions.
• The dispute reflects a wider clash over campus protests and antisemitism, with some universities such as Columbia striking agreements with the government as Harvard rejected proposed penalties and data demands.