The Trump administration and Harvard University have gone head-to-head in federal court over the government’s threats to cut billions from the school’s funding.
The Ivy League institution, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, sued the Trump administration in April for seeking “unprecedented and improper” control of the school, after it froze $2.6bn (£1.9bn) of its federal funding.
Harvard’s lawsuit accuses the government of waging a retaliation campaign against the university after it rejected a list of 10 demands from a federal antisemitism task force, which included sweeping changes related to campus protests, academics and admissions.
The Trump administration denies the cuts were made in retaliation, with the department of justice arguing that funding cuts are a means to protect against antisemitism, after it accused Harvard of ideological bias and violating the rights of its Jewish students when campus protests against Israel’s war in Gaza took place last year.
The case is now being heard before US district judge Allison Burroughs, who was appointed by former president Barack Obama.
Both sides have sought a summary judgement, which ends a legal case early without the need of a full trial. But there is no indication on when Judge Burroughs will deliver a verdict.
With the ruling potentially leading to larger implications on how much influence the US government has over schools, here is what you need to know.
Research, careers and labs at stake
During Monday’s hearing at Moakley Federal Courthouse, Harvard lawyer Steven Lehotsky asked Judge Burroughs to reverse the series of funding freezes.
He said if the cuts remain in place, it could lead to the loss of research, damage careers and the closing of labs.
“It’s not about Harvard’s conduct,” he said. “It’s about the government’s conduct toward Harvard.”
Already, government agencies have begun to end their contracts with the school, citing a clause that allows grants to be scrapped if they no longer align with government policies.
Sky News’ US partner network NBC News reported the cancelled contracts were worth an estimated $100m (£74m).
Despite having a $53bn endowment – a collection of assets, typically built up from donations, that generate income for the school – Harvard has said it cannot absorb the full cost of the cuts. Although, it has begun to self-fund some research.
Donald Trump also separately warned in a post on Truth Social that Harvard could lose its tax exempt status and be “taxed as a political entity”.
‘The government is pro-Jewish students’
In court, the parties continually went over whether antisemitism on campus justified the removal of federal funding.
Michael Velchik, the lawyer representing the Trump administration, argued Harvard allowed antisemitism to flourish at the university following the 7 October 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel, including protesters chanting antisemitic slogans and Jewish students being attacked.
“Harvard claims the government is anti-Harvard. I reject that,” Mr Velchik, who is a Harvard graduate, said.
“The government is pro-Jewish students at Harvard. The government is pro-Jewish faculty at Harvard.”
Harvard has said it has made changes to combat antisemitism, but Mr Lehotsky argued that the issue is not relevant to cutting research to do with, for example, Alzheimer’s research.
Judge Burroughs also pushed back at Mr Velchik, saying the government had provided “no documentation, no procedure” to “suss out” whether Harvard administrators have or haven’t done enough to combat antisemitism.
“The consequences of that in terms of constitutional law are staggering,” she said. “I don’t think you can justify a contract action based on impermissible suppression of speech.”
Mr Velchik responded by saying the case comes down to the government choosing how best to spend billions in research funding.
After Monday’s hearing, Mr Trump took to Truth Social, calling Judge Burroughs a “total disaster”.
Enrolling international students row
The lawsuit over federal funding is separate to a complaint Harvard filed in a Boston federal court in May over the Trump administration’s plan to stop the school from enrolling international students.
Judge Burroughs, who is overseeing both cases, issued a temporary restraining order which stops the government from revoking Harvard’s certification in the student and exchange visitor programme, which allows the university to host international students with visas to study in the US.
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The government first brought about the plan after accusing Harvard of creating an unsafe campus environment by allowing “anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators” to assault Jewish students on its premises.
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It also accused the university of coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), contending the school had hosted and trained members of a Chinese paramilitary group as recently as 2024.
Harvard argued the move violated the First Amendment and would have had an “immediate and devastating effect” on the school and “more than 7,000 visa holders”.
