The Trump administration is asking the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reinstate its termination of about $2.2 billion in federal research grants to Harvard. The hearing will examine whether the government can use funding to force institutional changes and whether the freeze and termination amounted to unlawful retaliation. Harvard calls the move a First Amendment violation, while the Justice Department argues the government may withhold funds over alleged campus antisemitism.
Appeals Court To Weigh Reinstatement Of $2.2B Termination Of Harvard Research Grants
A sign hangs on a gate of a building at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., July 6, 2023. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
The Trump administration will ask the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston to reinstate its decision to terminate about $2.2 billion in federal research grants to Harvard University, a high-profile element of its campaign to pressure elite universities. Oral argument is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. ET (1330 GMT) and could shape how far the government may go in using federal funding as leverage over higher education institutions.
Background
In April 2025, administration officials presented Harvard with a list of 10 demands, including ending diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and appointing third-party auditors to assess academic departments for viewpoint diversity. Harvard President Alan Garber rejected those demands, saying no government should dictate what private universities teach, admit, hire or study.
Freeze, Termination and Lawsuit
Within hours of Garber's response, the administration announced it was freezing federal grants to Harvard, citing an alleged failure to address harassment of Jewish students during campus protests linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict. It later terminated roughly $2.2 billion in grants. Harvard sued, arguing the funding actions were retaliation for speech protected by the First Amendment.
Lower-Court Ruling And Appeal
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs — an Obama appointee — issued an 84-page decision finding the administration used what she described as "antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country's premier universities." The Justice Department appealed to the 1st Circuit, contending the government is not required to continue giving taxpayer dollars to universities that demonstrate deliberate indifference to antisemitic conduct and discrimination on campus.
Related Litigation
The administration has filed three other suits against Harvard, including a March civil rights action alleging the university failed to protect Jewish students. That lawsuit, which sought to claw back federal funding, was dismissed by a judge in August.
What To Watch At The Appeals Hearing
- Whether the 1st Circuit will allow the administration to reinstate the grant terminations while appeals proceed.
- How the court interprets the balance between government oversight of federal funds and First Amendment protections for universities.
- Potential wider implications for federal research funding and university autonomy if the administration prevails.
Quote: "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," Harvard President Alan Garber said after receiving the administration's demands.
Reporting originally by Jan Wolfe; editing and supplementary context added.
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