BOSTON — A federal appeals court heard arguments Monday over the Trump administration’s effort to terminate more than $2 billion in federal research grants to Harvard University, a dispute that could help define the government’s authority to use research funding to pressure universities over campus policies.
The Justice Department asked the appeals court to overturn a lower-court ruling that blocked the funding cuts. The administration has said Harvard failed to adequately address antisemitism on campus and argued that federal agencies may withdraw grants when institutions fail to meet government requirements.
Harvard says the funding freeze was retaliation for the university’s refusal to accept a series of administration demands, including changes to diversity programs and reviews of academic programs and hiring practices. The university argues that the government violated the First Amendment by conditioning research money on changes to university governance and speech.
A federal district judge previously sided with Harvard, finding that the administration’s actions were driven by ideological considerations and that concerns about antisemitism were used as a pretext for broader demands.
The government is also challenging whether the dispute was filed in the proper court. Harvard is represented in the case by Paul Clement, a former U.S. solicitor general during the George W. Bush administration.
