Harvard University sued the Trump administration Monday over the government’s announcement that it would freeze more than $2 billion in grants to the school.
The suit names Health and Human Service Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; Education Secretary Linda M. McMahon; Attorney General Pam Bondi and other officials as defendants.
It alleges that the Trump administration is violating Harvard’s academic freedom, which is protected under the First Amendment. Other allegations include that the administration is acting beyond its constitutional and statutory authority.
The lawsuit comes after the federal government froze more than $2.2 billion in grants to Harvard University after the school said it won’t comply with a list of demands from the Trump administration over alleged violations of civil rights laws.
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The Department of Education warned in March that it would investigate Harvard for antisemitic discrimination and harassment. The White House says Harvard has failed to protect Jewish students on campus.
But in a letter sent to Harvard last week, the administration went further and called for governance and leadership reforms at the school, changes to hiring and admissions policies and the discontinuation of DEI programs.
“The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” Harvard’s president Alan Garber wrote in response. “No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.”