In a significant ruling on Friday, U.S. District Judge Rita Lin in San Francisco granted a preliminary injunction that stops the Trump administration from imposing a $1.2 billion fine or withholding federal funds from the University of California (UC) due to allegations of discrimination, including claims of antisemitism. The decision comes as a relief to the university, which faced unprecedented financial threats over civil rights concerns.
The Trump administration had accused UCLA, a part of the UC system, of fostering an environment that tolerates antisemitism, marking it as the first public university to be targeted for alleged civil rights violations. Similar actions had been taken against private institutions, with Columbia University previously experiencing a funding freeze. The administration demanded that UCLA pay a hefty sum to unfreeze research funding and maintain eligibility for future grants.
However, Judge Lin's ruling emphasized that the administration cannot take such punitive measures without due process, which includes providing notice to the affected faculty, conducting hearings, and fulfilling other procedural requirements. In her detailed opinion, Judge Lin pointed to evidence that suggested the administration was using civil rights investigations as a pretext to force ideological changes in higher education institutions.
The evidence presented by labor unions and faculty groups depicted a "concerted campaign" to eliminate 'woke,' 'left,' and 'socialist' viewpoints from leading universities in the country. This strategy, according to the New York Post, involved using the threat of funding cuts to coerce universities into aligning with the administration's ideological stances.
Judge Lin found the administration's actions to be "coercive and retaliatory," in violation of the First and Tenth Amendments. Her injunction not only prevents the cancellation of funding without due process but also prohibits the conditioning of federal funds on compliance with measures that would infringe on constitutional rights. This includes efforts to screen international students for "anti-Western" or "anti-American" views, restrict research and teaching based on content, and impose definitions of male and female.
The injunction remains in effect indefinitely, safeguarding the academic freedom and educational mission of the UC system. University of California President James B. Milliken had warned that the proposed fine would have a devastating impact on the UC system, which is considered one of the nation's top public university systems.
The Trump administration's proposed settlement terms for UCLA included compliance with federal views on gender identity and the implementation of screening procedures for foreign students who might engage in disruptive or antisemitic behavior. While similar agreements had been reached with other institutions, such as Brown University and Columbia University, UC has thus far resisted such terms.
Faculty and staff at UC reported feeling pressured to steer clear of teaching or researching certain topics for fear of being too "left" or "woke" in the face of the administration's actions. With Judge Lin's ruling, universities are protected from being coerced into adopting policies that violate constitutional rights while civil rights investigations are underway.
This legal dispute is part of a broader push by the Trump administration to reshape higher education funding and policy. Investigations have been launched into numerous colleges with claims that diversity, equity, and inclusion programs discriminate against White and Asian American students. President Donald Trump has criticized elite universities, claiming they are dominated by liberal ideologies, and this case represents a key flashpoint in his efforts.
