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26m ago

Judge Strikes Down Trump Freeze of Harvard Research Grants, Restoring Billions

The White House plans to appeal after the judge ruled the funding cuts were unlawful retaliation against the university.

Protestors gather outside the Moakley Federal Courthouse, where Harvard University appeared to challenge $2.6 billion in funding cuts by the Trump administration, Monday, July 21, 2025, in Boston.
Harvard banners hang in front of Widener Library during the 374th Harvard Commencement in Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 29, 2025.

Overview

  • U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs vacated the Freeze Orders and Termination Letters, finding they violated Harvard’s First Amendment rights and, in parts, Title VI procedural requirements.
  • The ruling restores roughly $2.2 billion in grants, with some accounts placing the broader impact of freezes and terminations at more than $2.6 billion across multiyear awards.
  • Burroughs wrote that officials used allegations of antisemitism as a “smokescreen” for an ideologically motivated campaign, while noting Harvard has begun taking steps to address antisemitism.
  • The order bars reimposing retaliatory freezes, and federal agencies must resume ordinary processing of halted research funds unless an appeals court intervenes.
  • The decision strengthens Harvard’s hand in ongoing talks with the administration, which has sought settlement payments reportedly up to $500 million, even as other levers like tax and visa threats remain in play and peer schools such as Columbia and Brown accepted deals.