Harvard University’s professors sued the Trump administration on Friday over its threat to scrutinize billions of dollars of federal funding.
The lawsuit, filed by Harvard’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors, accuses the administration of exploiting Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to “coerce universities into undermining free speech and academic inquiry in service of the government’s political or policy preferences.”
The administration’s review of Harvard includes $8.7 billion in grants and $225.6 million in contracts. The university came under scrutiny after the government indicated it would seek major changes at the country’s top educational institutions after pro-Palestinian student protests.
“Harvard, like all American universities, depends on federal funding to conduct its academic research,” the lawsuit read. Threats like these are an existential “gun to the head” for a university, it said.
A representative for Harvard didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The lawsuit was first reported by the Harvard Crimson.
The administration has targeted billions of dollars of funding and the Department of Education has started probes into 60 schools to see if they’re failing to protect Jewish students.