Trump Lost Again, US Judge Blocks Trump from Cutting Harvard's $2.2 Billion Funding
On September 3 local time, a U.S. federal judge ruled that the Trump administration's act of cutting Harvard University's $2.2 billion research funding violated Harvard's constitutional rights and must restore this funding. Previously, the Trump government's visa ban against Harvard had already been blocked by a judge.
For months, the Trump administration has been pressuring universities such as Harvard under the pretext of "anti-Semitism."
American cable news network CNN said that this means Harvard has achieved a "landmark victory" in its battle with the Trump administration. The Associated Press also stated that Harvard, representing the American Ivy League universities, has achieved a "major victory" in its struggle with the White House.
U.S. District Court Judge Allison Burroughs pointed out in her ruling that the federal government cannot cut any additional funds to Harvard for retaliating against Harvard's exercise of First Amendment rights or without following proper legal procedures. The Trump administration vowed to appeal.
In her ruling, Burroughs concluded that it was wrong for Harvard to "tolerate hate speech for a long time," but the federal government "used anti-Semitism as a cover to target this country's top university with an ideological attack." She pointed out that the government's actions violated the First Amendment, the Civil Rights Act, and the Administrative Procedure Act, and "threatened decades of research."
"We must combat anti-Semitism, but we also need to protect our rights, including freedom of speech," Burroughs wrote. "These two goals should not and do not have to be sacrificed for each other."
At a court hearing in July, Harvard argued that the federal government violated its constitutional rights when cutting funding and failed to follow the standard procedures for changing government contract terms. Harvard asked the judge to rule before September 3, which was the deadline for Harvard to close the terminated federal funding.
The lawyers representing the federal government argued that the case did not belong in the U.S. district court, but rather in the Federal Claims Court, which handles government contract disputes. Burroughs largely disagreed with this view, stating that she had the authority to hear most of the allegations.
A White House spokesperson responded: "To any fair observer, it is clear that Harvard University has failed to protect its students from harassment and allowed discrimination that has plagued its campus for years. We believe we will ultimately succeed in our efforts to hold Harvard accountable."
The White House spokesperson also stated that Harvard still does not meet the qualifications for funding and that "it has no constitutional right to receive taxpayers' money."
The Wall Street Journal noted that it remains unknown whether Harvard will continue to receive government funding in the future.
CNN mentioned that Judge Burroughs' latest ruling is a major victory for Harvard University. Among the many American universities targeted by the Trump administration, Harvard is the only one that directly challenged the White House in court.
After the outbreak of the Gaza conflict on October 7 last year, protest waves erupted on the campuses of well-known national universities such as Harvard and Columbia, with protesting students supporting Palestine and opposing Israel's war actions.
After President Trump took office for his second term, he began to "settle accounts" with American universities dominated by liberal voices, pressuring them to "self-censor" by cutting federal funding.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1842291475495948/
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