White House vows to appeal court ruling on Harvard funding freeze

WorldPolitics
4 Sep 2025 • 9:41 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

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  • A US federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration's attempt to freeze $2.2 billion in research funding for Harvard University was unconstitutional.
  • Boston U.S. District Judge Allison D Burroughs said that the move amounted to "retaliation, unconstitutional conditions, and unconstitutional coercion."
  • The Trump administration had claimed the funding freeze was necessary to compel Harvard to address antisemitism and "radical left" ideologies on campus.
  • Harvard sued, arguing its free speech rights were violated, with the judge agreeing and saying that antisemitism was used as a "smokescreen" for an ideological assault on universities.
  • The ruling prevents the administration from terminating or freezing additional federal funding to Harvard, though the White House has vowed to appeal the decision.

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