Trump administration will appeal judge's order reversing federal funding cuts at Harvard

"WASHINGTON (AP) - The Trump administration will appeal a federal judge's order reversing billions of dollars in funding cuts to Harvard University, extending a standoff over the White House's demands for reforms at the Ivy League school. The Justice Department filed a notice of appeal late on Thursday in a pair of consolidated lawsuits brought by Harvard and the American Association of University Professors. The case has tested the government's power to sway the nation's oldest and wealthiest university, which has resisted a pressure campaign targeting elite colleges around the country."

"U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs ruled in September that the Trump administration's sweeping funding cuts violated Harvard's First Amendment rights. The judge said the government put unconstitutional conditions on Harvard's federal funding and failed to follow federal procedures allowing the government to sanction universities for civil rights violations. The Trump administration cut more than $2.6 billion from Harvard over allegations that it had been slow to deal with anti-Jewish bias on campus. Burroughs rejected that notion, saying the government was using antisemitism "as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country's premier universities.""

"Liz Huston, a White House spokesperson, said Harvard has failed to protect students from discrimination on campus. "Harvard is not entitled to taxpayer funding, and we are confident the university will be held fully accountable for their failures," Huston said in a statement."

The Justice Department filed a notice of appeal after a federal judge reversed multibillion-dollar funding cuts to Harvard, prolonging a dispute over White House demands for institutional reforms. The lawsuits were consolidated and brought by Harvard and the American Association of University Professors. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs found the administration's cuts violated Harvard's First Amendment rights, imposed unconstitutional conditions on federal funding, and bypassed required procedures for civil-rights sanctions. The administration had cut more than $2.6 billion over allegations of slow response to anti-Jewish bias. The notice of appeal provided no legal arguments, and White House and Harvard officials reiterated opposing positions.

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