University of California students, professors and staff sue the Trump administration

"The Trump administration is using civil rights laws to wage a campaign against the University of California in an attempt to curtail academic freedom and undermine free speech, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday by faculty, staff, student organizations and every labor union representing UC workers."

"The lawsuit comes weeks after the Trump administration fined the University of California, Los Angeles $1.2 billion and froze research funding after accusing the school of allowing antisemitism on campus and other civil rights violations."

"According to the lawsuit, the Trump administration has made several demands in its proposed settlement offer to UCLA, including giving government access to faculty, student, and staff data, releasing admissions and hiring data, ending diversity scholarships, banning overnight demonstrations on university property and cooperating with immigration enforcement."

"Federal cuts to research funding threaten lifesaving biomedical research, hamper U.S. economic competitiveness and jeopardize the health of Americans who depend on the University's cutting-edge medical science and innovation, he said in a statement."

A coalition of UC faculty, staff, student organizations and all labor unions representing UC workers filed a lawsuit alleging that federal civil rights enforcement is being used to restrict academic freedom and free speech. The legal action follows a $1.2 billion fine and a research funding freeze at UCLA tied to allegations of campus antisemitism and civil rights violations. Similar federal pauses targeted several elite private colleges. The lawsuit says proposed settlement demands include access to personnel and admissions data, ending diversity scholarships, banning overnight demonstrations and cooperating with immigration enforcement. The coalition is led by the AAUP and represented by Democracy Forward.

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