Harvard University filed suit against the Trump administration on Monday in response to its multibillion-dollar cuts to the university — which came in part due to what the White House perceives as a failure to combat the rise of antisemitism that has roiled the Ivy League’s campus since the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks. 

The filing, which argues that the funding freeze violates the First Amendment by “imposing viewpoint-based conditions on Harvard’s funding,” comes one day after the Trump administration reportedly planned to cut another $1 billion in federal grants and contracts from Harvard. The administration had already cut $2.2 billion last week and has put a total of $9 billion of its funding under review. 

An April 11 letter from the Trump administration called for reforms to Harvard’s governance structure, its hiring of faculty, its admissions policies and its approach to antisemitism, with stringent federal reporting requirements. Demands were expected to be implemented by August. Attorneys for Harvard responded that President Donald Trump’s reforms “go beyond the lawful authority of this or any administration.” Harvard University President Alan Garber said the school would not comply with the “illegal demands.” 

In the 51-page complaint filed in federal court in Massachusetts, Harvard’s lawyers wrote that “the tradeoff put to Harvard and other universities is clear: Allow the Government to micromanage your academic institution or jeopardize the institution’s ability to pursue medical breakthroughs, scientific discoveries, and innovative solutions.” The lawsuit names as defendants several members of the Trump administration including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health and human services secretary; Linda McMahon, the education secretary; Stephen Ehikian, acting administrator of the General Services Administration; and Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Garber argued in a university-wide statement on Monday that the Trump administration’s demands were part of a campaign against Harvard under the guise of combating campus antisemitism. 

“Before taking punitive action, the law requires that the federal government engage with us about the ways we are fighting and will continue to fight antisemitism,” he wrote. “Instead, the government’s April 11 demands seek to control whom we hire and what we teach.”

“The government has cited the University’s response to antisemitism as a justification for its unlawful action,” Garber wrote. “As a Jew and as an American, I know very well that there are valid concerns about rising antisemitism. To address it effectively requires understanding, intention, and vigilance. Harvard takes that work seriously. We will continue to fight hate with the urgency it demands as we fully comply with our obligations under the law. That is not only our legal responsibility. It is our moral imperative.” 

Garber said the university would “soon” release the delayed final reports of the two presidential task forces on combating antisemitism and Islamophobia, which were originally slated to be released during the fall 2024 semester.