This is the basis for Harvard University’s lawsuit against the federal government and their fight to defend affirmative action. This week the university further widened its lawsuit to address the Trump administration’s latest moves to limit foreign student enrollment. The university’s legal team says that these actions threaten the educational futures of thousands of students and scholars. Their end goal is to stop one of the dollar appropriations of $450 million of grant funding.
Our lawsuit is based on one specific statement by former President Trump. He hinted that he would pull Harvard’s tax-exempt status. In effect, the university’s lawsuit contends that the government is attempting to kick out about 27 percent of its student body. This total includes over 6,700 international students as of fall 2024.
Harvard was just in the news for losing a lawsuit against its affirmative action policies. This problem came to a head earlier this year when the high court ordered an end to similar practices at colleges around the country. The university claims that today’s federal moves are nothing more than an extension of this unconstitutional retaliation. Most of all, they focus in on the international student population.
Harvard’s president, Alan Garber, expressed strong condemnation of the administration’s measures. He emphasized the impact on students and scholars, stating that “it imperils the futures of thousands of students and scholars across Harvard and serves as a warning to countless others at colleges and universities throughout the country who have come to America to pursue their education and fulfill their dreams.”
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs issued the restraining order that Harvard had sought, preventing the administration from carrying out the prescribed actions. This new lawsuit is actually a continuation of an earlier case. Judge Burroughs has already randomly assigned it and scheduled a half-day argument session on it for July 21. In addition, she’s scheduled a May 29 hearing to discuss what would be a more permanent, longer-term, but still needed, block of these federal actions.
Alan Garber, provost of the university, underscored the university’s dedication to standing by its students while facing a storm of legal challenges. He stated, “As we pursue legal remedies, we will do everything in our power to support our students and scholars.”
The lawsuit further describes the government’s actions as “a blatant violation of the First Amendment, the Due Process Clause and the Administrative Procedure Act.” Harvard University just dropped a huge signal that things have changed by replacing its longtime Boston-based law firm, Ropes & Gray. Their selections of new outside counsel includes Ian Gershengorn, a former acting solicitor general under President Barack Obama.
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