The Steady Drip: Judge Reverses Trump Admin’s Harvard Funding Freeze (Connecting the Dots: Judge Allison Burroughs, The University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, Secret Service (Butler), MSNBC & Soros Funding, All Networking)

Judge Reverses Trump Admin’s Harvard Funding Freeze (Connecting the Dots: Judge Allison Burroughs, The University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, Secret Service (Butler), MSNBC & Soros Funding, All Networking)

The judge questioned the Trump administration’s motives in its attempts to combat anti-Semitism.

The Epoch Times

Sam Dorman

Washington Correspondent

9/3/2025|Updated: 9/3/2025

Harvard banners hang in front of Widener Library during the 374th Harvard Commencement in Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Mass., on May 29, 2025. Rick Friedman/AFP via Getty Images

https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/judge-reverses-trump-admins-harvard-funding-freeze-5909996?ea_src=frontpage&ea_med=section-1

A federal judge has ruled against the Trump administration’s attempt to freeze more than $2 billion of Harvard University’s funding, holding that the government violated the First Amendment through its efforts to combat anti-Semitism.

In a ruling on Sept. 3, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs cast doubt on the administration’s motives in freezing vast amounts of funding for things like medical research. She suggested that the government retaliated over the university’s refusal to comply with multiple demands the Justice Department made after an investigation into anti-Semitism on campus.

“The government-initiated onslaught against Harvard was much more about promoting a governmental orthodoxy in violation of the First Amendment than about anything else, including fighting antisemitism,” she said.

She added that “there is, in reality, little connection between the research affected by the grant terminations and antisemitism.” Reviewing the evidence, she said, indicated that the administration used anti-Semitism as a “smokescreen.”

Her decision removes the administration’s orders freezing vast amounts of federal money flowing to Harvard and prohibits it from issuing additional funding freezes.

White House spokesperson Liz Huston said the administration would appeal the ruling, which she said was egregious.

“To any fair-minded observer, it is clear that Harvard University failed to protect their students from harassment and allowed discrimination to plague their campus for years. Harvard does not have a constitutional right to taxpayer dollars and remains ineligible for grants in the future,” she said in a statement provided to The Epoch Times.

In April, the administration made several demands that Burroughs said included changes to activities protected by the First Amendment. These protected rights include a school’s ability to manage its academic community and evaluate teaching without government interference.

Her ruling followed a hearing in July when the Justice Department argued that the government was well within its rights to terminate funding streams to Harvard. The university, the department also said, brought the case in a federal district court when it should have brought it in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, which typically handles contract-related disputes.

Tension inside and outside the courthouse seemed to underscore the high stakes alleged by both sides. In his rebuttal, Justice Department attorney Michael Velchik, a Harvard alumnus, got choked up while discussing the importance of the university and the concern about anti-Semitism on campus.

Velchik said that the government would have canceled Harvard’s contracts regardless of how the university responded to its demands.

In her Sept. 3 opinion, Burroughs doubted that the funding freeze was unrelated to Harvard’s refusal to comply with the government’s demands. The judge said President Donald Trump’s posts on social media evinced an interest in punishing Harvard’s views rather than anti-Semitism.

The Epoch Times reached out to Harvard for comment.

Emel Akan contributed to this report

Allison Dale Burroughs

Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allison_D._Burroughs

Allison Dale Burroughs (born 1961) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a United States district judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. She was appointed in 2014 by President Barack Obama. She is most notably known for rejecting the lawsuit Asian students brought against Harvard's race-based admissions.

Biography

She received a Juris Doctor cum laude in 1988 from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Notable cases

Burroughs is most notable for her order that put a hold on President Donald Trump's travel ban in January 2017 (Executive Order 13769) and for presiding over United States v. Salemme, Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard University, and United States v. Babich.

Connecting the Dots:

Judge Allison Dale Burroughs is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a United States district judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts and received a Juris Doctor cum laude in 1988 from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Judith Rodin was the president for the University of Pennsylvania and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

John C. Whitehead is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and was the chairman for Harvard University.

C. Douglas Dillon was the chairman for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and an overseer at Harvard University.

Henry Louis Gates Jr. was an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and is a professor at Harvard University.

Paul E. Peterson was a director of governmental studies at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and is a professor at Harvard University.

Lawrence H. Summers was a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and is a professor; former president at Harvard University.

Ann M. Fudge is a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and was an overseer at Harvard University.

Herbert M. Kaplan is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a board of fellow’s member for Harvard Medical School.

Cass R. Sunstein is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a professor at Harvard Medical School.

Lynn Bendheim Thoman is a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a board of fellow’s member for Harvard Medical School.

Howard E. Cox Jr. is a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a board of fellow’s member for Harvard Medical School.

Kenneth M. Duberstein is a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a senior advisory committee member for the Harvard University Institute of Politics.

Harold H. Koh was a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), an overseer at Harvard University, a developments editor for the Harvard Law Review and the State Department legal adviser for the Barack Obama administration.

David M. Rubenstein is co-chairman for the Brookings Institution (think tank) the president of the Economic Club of Washington and was a benefactor at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and the Aspen Institute (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Martin Meyerson was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank) and the president for the University of Pennsylvania (Penn).

Bloomberg Family Foundation was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Michael R. Bloomberg is the founder of the Bloomberg Family Foundation and was an advocate for the ONE Campaign.

Michelle Obama was an advocate for the ONE Campaign, is married to Barack Obama and the first lady for the Barack Obama administration.

Ronald O. Perelman is a director at the ONE Campaign and a trustee emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania.

International Rescue Committee is a partner with the ONE Campaign.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the International Rescue Committee and the Center for American Progress.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society and a supporter for the Center for American Progress.

Ezekiel Emanuel is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, the vice provost for the University of Pennsylvania and was the health care policy adviser for the Barack Obama administration.

John D. Podesta is the chair & counselor for the Center for American Progress and the chairman for the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

Center for American Progress Action Fund is a fund, affiliated advocacy group for the Center for American Progress.

Carol M. Browner is a director, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and was the energy czar for the Barack Obama administration.

Tom Daschle is a director at the Center for American Progress and was the nominee for health and human services secretary for the Barack Obama administration.

Ezekiel Emanuel is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and was the health care policy adviser for the Barack Obama administration.

Lawrence H. Summers is a distinguished fellow at the Center for American Progress and was the National Economic Council chairman for the Barack Obama administration.

Cassandra Q. Butts was the SVP for the Center for American Progress and the deputy White House counsel for the Barack Obama administration.

Philip J. Crowley was the director of homeland security at the Center for American Progress and the assistant secretary of state for the Barack Obama administration.

Derek Douglas was an associate director of economic policy at the Center for American Progress and a special assistant for urban affairs for the Barack Obama administration.

Bradley J. Kiley was a VP for the Center for American Progress and the director of management and administration for the Barack Obama administration.

Karen Kornbluh was a visiting scholar at the Center for American Progress and a policy director for Barack Obama.

Jeanne Lambrew was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and is the deputy assistant to the president for health policy for the Barack Obama administration.

Denis McDonough was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and is the chief of staff; former deputy national security adviser for the Barack Obama administration.

Esther M. Olavarria was the director of immigration policy at the Center for American Progress and is the deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for the Barack Obama administration.

Dan Restrepo was the Americas Project director at the Center for American Progress and a special assistant to the president for the Barack Obama administration.

Gene B. Sperling was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and is the assistant to the president for economic policy for the Barack Obama administration.

Todd Stern was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and is the special envoy for climate change at the U.S. Department of State for the Barack Obama administration.

Melody C. Barnes was the EVP for the Center for American Progress, the domestic policy council, director for the Barack Obama administration and is Barack Obama’s golf partner.

Apple Inc. was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

AT&T Inc. was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

Bank of America Corp. was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

BMW of North America LLC was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

Citigroup Inc. was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

Coca-Cola Company was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

Facebook was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

General Electric Company was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (Bailout Company) was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

Motion Picture Association of America was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

PG&E Corporation was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

Samsung Electronics Co. was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

Time Warner Inc. was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

T-Mobile USA, Inc. was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

Toyota Motor North America was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

Visa Inc. was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

Wells Fargo & Co. was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

PepsiCo, Inc. was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

Larry D. Thompson is the EVP of governmental affairs, general counsel & secretary for PepsiCo, Inc. and a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Michael H. Jordan was an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and the division chairman & CEO for PepsiCo, Inc.

Kimberly Cheatle served as Senior Director in Global Security at PepsiCo and the 27^th director for the U.S. Secret Service. (Butler Shooting).

U.S. Secret Service is a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Charles E. Allen was an undersecretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and is a principal for the Chertoff Group.

Jay M. Cohen was an undersecretary for science & technology for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and is a principal for the Chertoff Group.

Paul A. Schneider was a deputy secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and a principal for the Chertoff Group.

Debbie Eng was an associate executive secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and is a managing director for the Chertoff Group.

Chad C. Sweet was a chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and is a co-founder & CEO for the Chertoff Group.

Michael Chertoff was the secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, is a co-founder & chairman for the Chertoff Group and the chairman for BAE Systems Inc.

Lee H. Hamilton is a director at BAE Systems Inc. and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Judith Rodin was an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and the president for the University of Pennsylvania.

Judge Allison Dale Burroughs received a Juris Doctor cum laude in 1988 from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a United States district judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

John C. Whitehead is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and was the chairman for Harvard University.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society and is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.

Ronald O. Perelman was a funder, 2013 fundraiser chair for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation and is a trustee emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania.

Richard C. Perry was a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation and is a trustee at the University of Pennsylvania.

Ezekiel Emanuel is the vice provost for the University of Pennsylvania, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, Rahm I. Emanuel’s brother, and was the health care policy adviser for the Barack Obama administration.

John D. Podesta a temporary CEO for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, is the chair & counselor for the Center for American Progress and the chairman for the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

Center for American Progress Action Fund is a fund, affiliated advocacy group for the Center for American Progress.

George Soros was a supporter for the Center for American Progress and the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for and the Center for American Progress and the International Rescue Committee.

International Rescue Committee is a partner with the ONE Campaign.

Michelle Obama was an advocate for the ONE Campaign, is married to Barack Obama and the first lady for the Barack Obama administration.

Ronald O. Perelman is a director at the ONE Campaign and a trustee emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania.

International Rescue Committee is a partner with the ONE Campaign.

Harold E. Ford Jr. was an overseer at the International Rescue Committee and is a political commentator at MSNBC.

Andrea Mitchell is the host for MSNBC and a trustee at the University of Pennsylvania.

Edward G. Rendell is a frequent guest on MSNBC and was a trustee at the University of Pennsylvania.

Martin Meyerson was the president for the University of Pennsylvania and a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Bloomberg Family Foundation was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Michael R. Bloomberg is the founder of the Bloomberg Family Foundation and was an advocate for the ONE Campaign.

Michelle Obama was an advocate for the ONE Campaign, is married to Barack Obama and the first lady for the Barack Obama administration.

Ronald O. Perelman is a director at the ONE Campaign and a trustee emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn).