Federal Judge Orders Release of $2.2 Billion in Harvard Grants

BOSTON - In a landmark decision Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Allison D. Burroughs ruled that the Trump administration’s suspension of nearly $2.2 billion in federal research funding to Harvard University was unlawful and must be undone immediately.

The dispute dates to April, when the White House froze $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts after alleging that Harvard had failed to adequately address antisemitism on campus. In her 84-page opinion, Judge Burroughs held that the administration “used antisemitism as a smokescreen to unlawfully block billions in research funding” and that there was “little connection between the research affected by the grant terminations and antisemitism”.

“This is not a case where the record permits a conclusion other than that Defendants used antisemitism as pretext for an ideologically motivated attack on one of our premier universities,” the judge wrote, vacating the April funding termination letters.

Harvard University welcomed the ruling as a victory for academic freedom. A university spokesperson stated that the decision “reaffirms the principle that important research must not be subject to arbitrary and procedurally infirm grant terminations”. The administration has indicated it will appeal the ruling.

The outcome restores federal support for a broad range of Harvard research projects, from medical studies to engineering initiatives, and underscores the judiciary’s role in checking executive actions perceived as retaliatory.