The faculty of Harvard University Sue to block the Trump review of almost $ 9 billion in funding | Harvard University

Harvard University professors are sued to block the revision of the Trump administration of almost $ 9 billion in federal contracts and the subsidies assigned to the Ivy League school as part of a repression of what the White House says is anti -Semitism on university campuses.

The chapter of the Faculty of Harvard of the American Association of University Professors and the national arm of the academic organization declared in a case intended on Friday in a Federal Court of Boston that the administration was trying to illegally undermines academic freedom and freedom of speech on the school campus.

“Threats like these are an existential” head gun for a university, “said the cause, according to Harvard Crimson. He added: “They openly try to impose on political opinions and political preferences of the University of Harvard advanced by the Trump administration and commit the university to punish the unfavorable discourse”.

The cause, which was presented together with a motion for a temporary restrictive order, claims that the revision by the federal government on the university’s financing was “arbitrary or capricious” because it did not provide a reasoned explanation for threatening to withdraw the funds.

The Department of Justice of the United States, which is defending the administration’s policies in court, did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday. Harvard, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, refused to comment.

Several elite universities including Harvard have seen their federal funding threatened by the administration of Donald Trump on the protests of the Filo-Palestinese campus, as well as other issues such as diversity, equity and inclusion programs and transgender policies.

The Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, together with the administration of the General Services of the United States, on March 31st said that $ 255.6 million in contracts between Harvard, its affiliates and the federal government were revised, together with $ 8.7 billion in commitments of multi -year subsidy.

In a later letter, these agencies asked Harvard to satisfy numerous conditions to continue receiving federal funds, including the ban on the use of masks, the elimination of the programs of and the agreement to cooperate with the police.

Many pro-Palestinian demonstrators have worn masks during the events. The letter also states that Harvard must review and make changes to programs and departments that “feed anti -Semitic harassment” and consider students responsible for the violations of the policies.

The administration cited its authority to enforce the title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, an anti -discrimination law that covers the institutions that receive federal funding.

But the cause stated that the administration did not follow the requirements of the statute in trying to stop funding and that its actions violated the rights of freedom of speech sanctioned by the first amendment of the Constitution of the United States.

“These tactics are equivalent to the exploitation of the title VI to force universities to undermine freedom of speech and the academic investigation at the service of the political or political preferences of the government,” said the cause, as reported by Harvard Crimson.

“The first amendment does not allow government officials to use the power of their office to silence the critics and suppress the speeches he doesn’t like,” said Andrew Crespo, professor of Harvard and general consultant of the school’s chapter.

Echoing similar feelings, Nikolas Bowie, secretary-thesis of the law professor of the University’s Aau chapter, said: “It is important to eliminate the discrimination and protection of all students. But Trump is challenging the law on civil rights, terrifying students and illegally keeping hostage subsidies for hospitals and scientific research so that he can achieve his real point of punishment for academic punishment. our policy. “

The latest cause follows the Education Committee and the Work Forces led by the Republicans withdraw of an investigation into the clinics of the Northwestern university laws after the professors sued, claiming that the investigation has violated their constitutional rights of freedom of speech.

Citing anti -Semitism reports in the campus, the members of the Chamber Committee had sought the budget and staff registers statements that the university was using “institutional resources supported by taxpayers for worrying purposes”.

In response, Sheila a Bedi, professor of clinical law, and Lynn Cohn, a colleague professor of law, sued the committee, stating that his investigations have violated the constitutional rights of their and their customers to freedom of speech and the right trial, among others.

Subsequently, the committee withdrawn its request, a move that a press release on Thursday from the Center for Constitution Rights described as a “victory for academic freedom, the state of law and the constitutional principles of rock”.