USA Harvard defends itself with lawsuit against US government
The elite university Harvard is going to court in a dispute with the US government.
22.04.2025, 02:32
SDA
The lawsuit aims to resolve the blockade of billions in funding. The actions of President Donald Trump's government violate the freedom of speech enshrined in the First Amendment to the US Constitution, Harvard argues, among other things.
Harvard refused to implement a change of course demanded by Trump, which concerns, for example, the admission of students, compliance with rules of conduct and the recruitment of university staff. The far-reaching demands were justified in a letter from the authorities with allegedly inadequate measures against anti-Semitism. Harvard President Alan Garber criticized that the government wanted to "control who we hire and what we teach".
Hardvard rejected Trump's demands
According to media reports, officials let Harvard know that the official letter with the demands had been sent on April 11 without consultation. However, there was no public rejection of the position. After the university rejected the demands, the government put billions in funding on hold. Most recently, Trump threatened that Harvard could lose its tax breaks and be taxed like a political institution. He has long accused the university of having a left-wing ideology.
Harvard sued Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, among others, by name - but did not include Trump in the list.
