Journalism of Courage
A US judge has ruled that President Donald Trump’s administration cannot fine the University of California (UC) or cut its federal funding without following proper legal steps, Reuters reported.
US District Judge Rita Lin in San Francisco issued a preliminary injunction on Friday, saying the administration cannot cancel UC funding over allegations of antisemitism or other discrimination unless it gives notice and holds a hearing.
The administration had earlier demanded that the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), pay $1.2 billion to restore frozen research funds after accusing the campus of allowing antisemitism. The UCLA was the first public university targeted under these investigations. Federal funding has also been frozen or paused at private universities, including Columbia.
In her ruling, Lin said unions and other groups representing UC students, staff and faculty provided evidence that the administration was trying to pressure universities over their views. She wrote that officials, including the President and Vice President, had “publicly announced a playbook” of opening civil rights investigations to justify cutting funding, with the aim of forcing universities “to change their ideological tune,” according to Reuters.
Lin said this approach was now being used at the University of California, which faces multiple civil rights probes. She found the administration had acted in a way that violated the First Amendment and Tenth Amendment protections.
Lin’s order will remain in place indefinitely. The White House and the Department of Justice did not respond to Reuters’ requests for a comment.
UC President James B. Milliken has said the size of the proposed UCLA penalty would harm the system, which includes several leading public universities. UC is in settlement talks with the administration but is not part of the lawsuit, the report said.
In a statement, the UC said it “remains committed to protecting the mission, governance and academic freedom of the University,” Reuters reported.
The administration’s settlement proposal, made public in October, required the UCLA to adopt its positions on gender identity and to screen foreign students for what it considers anti-American, anti-Western or antisemitic behaviour.
The administration has already reached settlements with Brown University for $50 million and with Columbia University for $221 million.
Lin cited declarations from UC staff who said the administration’s actions made them avoid teaching or researching subjects they feared could be labelled “left” or “woke.” Her injunction also blocks the administration from tying UC’s federal funding to measures that would restrict speech or research, including screening international students for political views or mandating certain definitions of sex and gender.
President Trump has criticised major universities, claiming they allow liberal ideas and antisemitism, and his administration has opened dozens of investigations into alleged civil rights violations. The administration argues that diversity, equity and inclusion programmes discriminate against white and Asian American students, Reuters said.
