After Harvard, University Of California sues Trump administration over funding freeze

Days after a federal judge in Boston struck down the Trump administration’s $2.6 billion funding cuts to Harvard, calling them unlawful retaliation over governance disputes, the faculty, staff, student groups, and labour unions of the University of California have filed a lawsuit in San Francisco, accusing the Trump administration of weaponising civil rights laws to muzzle academic freedom and free expression.

The move comes just after UCLA was hit with a staggering $1.2 billion fine and had all of its federal research funds frozen over allegations of antisemitism and civil rights violations. UCLA is the first public university to face such sweeping penalties, following earlier crackdowns on private schools like Harvard, Brown, and Columbia.

Court filings show the administration’s proposed settlement terms with UCLA went far beyond fines: demands for access to faculty, staff, and student data, disclosure of admissions and hiring records, the elimination of diversity scholarships, restrictions on campus protests, and even cooperation with immigration enforcement.

Although the UC system itself is not a plaintiff, it’s alarmed. “Federal cuts to research funding threaten lifesaving biomedical research, harm America’s global competitiveness, and put the health of millions at risk,” said UC spokesperson Stett Holbrook.

UC President James Milliken called the administration’s actions as “one of the gravest threats in the university’s 157-year history.” The UC system depends on more than $17 billion in annual federal support, nearly $10 billion of it tied to Medicare, Medicaid, research, and student aid.