Washington, D.C.,September 4(HS):The U.S. federal judge has overturned a decision by President Donald Trump’s administration to strip Harvard University of roughly $2 billion in federal research funding, ruling that the move violated the Ivy League institution’s First Amendment rights.

Judge Allison Burroughs, in an 84-page ruling, said the administration’s funding freeze—imposed in April amid accusations that Harvard fostered antisemitism, racial bias, and “radical left” politics—was not a legitimate attempt to address antisemitism but rather an “ideologically motivated assault” on elite universities.

While the judge criticized Harvard for failing to adequately tackle antisemitism on campus, she concluded that the government’s true motive was political, writing that antisemitism had been used as a “smokescreen.” Her order not only vacated previous freeze directives but also barred the administration from blocking ongoing or future payments to the Cambridge-based university.

The ruling marks a major legal victory for Harvard, although the Trump administration is expected to appeal the decision. Three other Ivy League schools, including Columbia, reached settlements with Trump to avoid similar funding cuts.

The dispute escalates Trump’s long-running battle with the nation’s leading universities, where he has also threatened to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status and seize control of federally supported patents.

Harvard President Alan Garber praised the ruling, insisting that no government should decide “what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of inquiry they can pursue.”

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar