Overview

• Harvard professors, represented by the American Association of University Professors, filed a lawsuit on April 12, 2025, seeking to block the Trump administration's review of $9 billion in federal funding.
• The legal action argues that the administration's policy demands, including banning masks at protests and eliminating diversity programs, violate the First Amendment and undermine academic freedom.
• The lawsuit requests an immediate temporary restraining order to prevent the administration from cutting off federal funding to Harvard during the legal proceedings.
• The funding review is part of a broader federal campaign targeting elite universities, citing antisemitism concerns but accused by critics of using funding as leverage to impose political views.
• Harvard officials warn that losing federal funding would jeopardize critical scientific and medical research, while faculty claim the administration's actions are an existential threat to higher education.