Trump administration challenges court order restoring $2.7 billion to Harvard

The Trump administration has filed an appeal against a federal judge’s decision ordering the return of nearly $2.7 billion in frozen research funds to Harvard University. According to Harvard Crimson, the notice, submitted late Thursday in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, moves the case to the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

The appeal challenges a September 3 ruling by District Judge Allison D. Burroughs, who granted Harvard broad summary judgment on constitutional grounds. Burroughs had ruled that the administration’s freeze on funding violated the Constitution, describing the cuts as retaliatory measures targeting Harvard for protected speech. She also found that allegations of antisemitism were used as a pretext for “an ideologically-motivated assault” on universities and that proper procedures under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act were not followed.

Harvard filed its lawsuit in April after the White House froze research funding, claiming the freeze was an attempt to force the university to comply with federal demands, including granting oversight on faculty hiring, admissions, and governance decisions. Following Burroughs’ ruling, Harvard began receiving partial restoration of funds. In late September, about $46 million in federal grants were released, covering roughly 200 grants.


The Department of Justice confirmed that it will seek to challenge final judgments in two cases, one brought by Harvard and another by the Harvard faculty chapter of the American Association of University Professors. A White House spokesperson, Liz Huston, had said earlier, “We will immediately move to appeal this egregious decision, and we are confident we will ultimately prevail in our efforts to hold Harvard accountable.”

Federal law does not set a deadline for the First Circuit to act, and the court is expected to set a briefing schedule in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, Harvard and the federal government are reportedly discussing a potential settlement, which could involve a payment of up to $500 million to resolve funding disputes and ongoing investigations.