Federal funding freeze on nation's oldest university likely to stay in place well into summer after first court hearing

Source: CNN

More than $2 billion in federal funds committed to Harvard University are likely to stay frozen by the Trump administration well into the summer after the sides met for the first time in a Boston courtroom in their high-stakes sparring match over political ideology in American higher education.

In a 15-minute hearing Monday, US District Court Judge Allison Burroughs, a Barack Obama appointee, set July 21 for oral arguments. Harvard, the nation’s oldest and wealthiest college, has asked for a final decision on an expedited schedule rather than an immediate order to restore the money, meaning the university will be without the grant and contract funds it says are critical for ongoing research for at least the next 12 weeks – unless the White House voluntarily walks back its decision.

While Harvard’s lawsuit over the $2.2 billion freeze in federal research funding marked an escalation in the ongoing fight between the White House and higher education, legal observers warn the stakes are much higher as the Trump administration also looks to walk back US institutions’ commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion programs, their rules for campus protests and whom they admit and employ.

“How long can we go without investments in universities that produce innovations in health or advances that help us deal with climate change or psychological insight to help our communities thrive?” asked Osamudia James, a law professor at the University of North Carolina whose specialties include administrative law.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/nation-oldest-wealthiest-university-trump-090051290.html