Elite university Harvard sues US government over dispute over billions in funding
Washington/Boston. The elite university Harvard is taking its dispute with the US government to court. The lawsuit aims to resolve the blockade of billions in funding. Harvard argues, among other things, that President Donald Trump's actions violate the freedom of speech enshrined in the First Amendment to the US Constitution.
The university refused to implement a policy change demanded by Trump, which affected aspects such as student admissions, compliance with codes of conduct, and staff hiring. In a letter from the authorities, the far-reaching demands were justified by allegedly inadequate measures against anti-Semitism. Harvard President Alan Garber criticized the administration for wanting to "control who we hire and what we teach."
Students, faculty, and other members of Harvard University at a protest in Cambridge
Source: ---/AP/dpa
According to media reports, Harvard officials informed Harvard that the official letter containing the demands was sent on April 11 without prior consultation. However, there was no public reversal of this position. After the university rejected the demands, the government put billions of dollars in funding on hold. Recently, Trump threatened that Harvard could also lose its tax breaks and be taxed as a political institution. He has long accused the university of a left-wing ideology.
Harvard filed lawsuits specifically against Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, among others. However, the university did not include Trump in the list.
RND/dpa
rnd
