Harvard filed a lawsuit against U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday, marking a sharp escalation in the ongoing conflict between the prestigious university and the Republican leader, who has threatened its funding and pushed for external political oversight.
Trump has targeted several elite universities, accusing them of allowing campus anti-Semitism. He has threatened their federal budgets, tax-exempt status, and the enrollment of international students. Harvard, however, has resisted such pressure.
“This case involves the Government’s efforts to use the withholding of federal funding as leverage to gain control of academic decision making at Harvard,” the Ivy League institution stated in a lawsuit filed in a Massachusetts federal court. The suit also named other universities that have been similarly targeted by Trump.
“The Government’s actions flout not just the First Amendment, but also federal laws and regulations,” the complaint continued, labeling the administration’s actions as “arbitrary and capricious.”
Trump and his administration have defended their stance as a response to what they describe as widespread “anti-Semitism” on campuses and an effort to challenge diversity initiatives designed to address historical oppression of minority groups.
They claim that demonstrations against Israel’s war in Gaza, which erupted across college campuses in the U.S. last year, were deeply anti-Semitic.
In response to the allegations, many universities, including Harvard, took disciplinary action. The Cambridge-based university reportedly placed 23 students on probation and withheld degrees from 12 others, according to protest organizers.
Meanwhile, other institutions, such as Columbia University, have complied with less extensive demands from the Trump administration, which accuses academic elites of being too politically left-leaning.
Tags
International