Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration from Withholding UC Funding, Finds Ideological Coercion
Judge grants injunction preventing federal cuts to University of California and rules government campaign to alter university policies through funding threats unlawful
A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction barring the Trump administration from withholding federal funding and imposing fines on the University of California system in its effort to force policy changes tied to ideological views.
Judge Rita Lin of the U.S. District Court in San Francisco ruled that the government’s attempt to demand payments from the state-university system over alleged civil-rights violations constituted an improper campaign to reshape campus viewpoints.
The lawsuit was brought by University of California faculty, researchers and students, who demonstrated that the federal government had pursued broad investigations into allegations of antisemitism and affirmative-action violations—tying those probes to threats of funding termination or demands for large monetary settlements.
In one case, the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) had over five hundred eighty-four million dollars in research funding frozen after a Justice Department civil-rights finding.
In her ruling, Judge Lin found that the federal government carried out a “playbook of initiating civil-rights investigations … bringing universities to their knees and forcing them to change their ideological tune.” She held that the administration’s actions likely violated both the Administrative Procedure Act and the First Amendment by coercing institutions to suppress perspectives objected to by the executive branch.
The court’s decision prohibits the government from demanding payments, threatening funding termination on ideological grounds, or pursuing enforcement that amounts to viewpoint-based punishment of universities.
The ruling does not yet cover all aspects of the government’s settlement efforts, but signals a significant check on federal leverage over higher-education institutions.
A spokesperson for the Department of Education said the agency was reviewing the order, while University of California officials praised the ruling as a safeguard for academic independence.
The case underscores a growing clash between campus policy, federal oversight and ideological influence—and may have wide-reaching implications for how the government conditions federal funds on institutional behaviour and beliefs.
Judge Rita Lin of the U.S. District Court in San Francisco ruled that the government’s attempt to demand payments from the state-university system over alleged civil-rights violations constituted an improper campaign to reshape campus viewpoints.
The lawsuit was brought by University of California faculty, researchers and students, who demonstrated that the federal government had pursued broad investigations into allegations of antisemitism and affirmative-action violations—tying those probes to threats of funding termination or demands for large monetary settlements.
In one case, the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) had over five hundred eighty-four million dollars in research funding frozen after a Justice Department civil-rights finding.
In her ruling, Judge Lin found that the federal government carried out a “playbook of initiating civil-rights investigations … bringing universities to their knees and forcing them to change their ideological tune.” She held that the administration’s actions likely violated both the Administrative Procedure Act and the First Amendment by coercing institutions to suppress perspectives objected to by the executive branch.
The court’s decision prohibits the government from demanding payments, threatening funding termination on ideological grounds, or pursuing enforcement that amounts to viewpoint-based punishment of universities.
The ruling does not yet cover all aspects of the government’s settlement efforts, but signals a significant check on federal leverage over higher-education institutions.
A spokesperson for the Department of Education said the agency was reviewing the order, while University of California officials praised the ruling as a safeguard for academic independence.
The case underscores a growing clash between campus policy, federal oversight and ideological influence—and may have wide-reaching implications for how the government conditions federal funds on institutional behaviour and beliefs.
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