Harvard University lawsuit claims Trump violated free speech rights with billion-dollar funding cuts

Harvard University announced a lawsuit against the actions of the Trump administration after billions of dollars’ worth of federal funding to the university was cut.

The administration accused Harvard officials of not doing enough to protect their Jewish students in light of pro-Hamas protests that often resulted in threats, intimidation, and sometimes even violence. The university argued that the cut of $2.2 billion in federal funds amounted to a violation of the First Amendment.

‘Taxpayer funds are a privilege, and Harvard fails to meet the basic conditions required to access that privilege.’

A letter from Harvard University President Alan Garber denied the allegations but admitted that the university had room for improvement.

“The government has cited the university’s response to anti-Semitism as a justification for its unlawful action. As a Jew and as an American, I know very well that there are valid concerns about rising anti-Semitism,” wrote Garber. “To address it effectively requires understanding, intention, and vigilance. Harvard takes that work seriously. We will continue to fight hate with the urgency it demands as we fully comply with our obligations under the law. That is not only our legal responsibility. It is our moral imperative.”

The lawsuit said that the actions of the administration threatened Harvard’s independence while putting at risk “critical lifesaving and pathbreaking research” at the campus.

The administration had issued a list of demands to the university, and when they refused to comply, the Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism pulled billions in multiyear grants.

“The gravy train of federal assistance to institutions like Harvard, which enrich their grossly overpaid bureaucrats with tax dollars from struggling American families is coming to an end,” read a statement from Harrison Fields, a spokersperson for the White House. “Taxpayer funds are a privilege, and Harvard fails to meet the basic conditions required to access that privilege.”

The university argues in the lawsuit that there’s no connection between fighting anti-Semitism and cutting funding to the university.

“The government has not — and cannot — identify any rational connection between anti-Semitism concerns and the medical, scientific, technological, and other research it has frozen that aims to save American lives, foster American success, preserve American security, and maintain America’s position as a global leader in innovation,” the lawsuit states.

President Donald Trump has also threatened to strip the university’s tax-exempt status.

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