California University Sues Trump Over Freezing Academic Funding

California University’s faculty, staff, and unions have sued the Trump administration, alleging misuse of civil rights laws to curb academic freedom.

The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco on September 16, follows a $1.2 billion fine and a funding freeze imposed on UCLA a week earlier over allegations of antisemitism and civil rights violations.

The coalition that sued is led by the American Association of University Professors union, or AAUP, and represented by Democracy Forward, a legal group that has previously challenged Trump administration policies on frozen federal funds.

The suit outlines demand made of UCLA by federal officials, including dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programmes, surrendering admissions and hiring oversight to an outside monitor, and reporting student disciplinary records.

The complaint argues that the administration is seeking to exert ideological control over higher education “through a scheme of targeting, bullying, and unconstitutional actions” against institutions nationwide.

In light of this, White House spokesperson Liz Huston said in an email, “If there’s any sign that federal funds are padding unreasonable overhead fees rather than serving the American public, this is it.”

UCLA was the first public university hit with such a widespread funding freeze. Similar actions have also been taken against private institutions, including Harvard, Brown, and Columbia.

Stett Holbrook, spokesperson for the University of California, said the university is not directly involved in the lawsuit but is engaged in broader efforts to restore and safeguard federal funding.