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By Nate Raymond
BOSTON (Reuters) - Harvard University professors are suing to block the Trump administration's review of nearly $9 billion in federal contracts and grants awarded to the Ivy League school as part of a crackdown on what it says is antisemitism on college campuses.
The Harvard faculty chapter of the American Association of University Professors and the national arm of the academic organization said in a lawsuit filed on Friday in a Boston federal court that the administration was trying to unlawfully undermine academic freedom and free speech on the school's campus.
The U.S. Department of Justice, which is defending the administration's policies in court, did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday. Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Harvard declined to comment.
Several elite universities including Harvard have seen their federal funding threatened by President Donald Trump's administration over pro-Palestinian campus protests as well as other issues such as diversity, equity and inclusion programs and transgender policies.
The U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services along with the U.S. General Services Administration on March 31 said that $255.6 million in contracts between Harvard, its affiliates and the federal government were being reviewed, along with $8.7 billion in multi-year grant commitments.
In a subsequent letter, those agencies demanded Harvard meet numerous conditions to continue receiving federal funds, including banning the use of masks, eliminating DEI programs and agreeing to cooperate with law enforcement agencies.
Many pro-Palestinian protesters have worn masks during demonstrations. The letter also said Harvard must review and make changes to programs and departments that "fuel antisemitic harassment" and hold students accountable for policy violations.
The administration has cited its authority to enforce Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, an anti-discrimination law covering institutions that receive federal funding.
But the lawsuit alleged the administration had failed to follow the statute's requirements in seeking to cut off funding and that its actions violated free speech rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment.
The plaintiffs alleged that the goal was to "impose on Harvard University political views and policy preferences advanced by the Trump administration and commit the university to punishing disfavored speech."
"The First Amendment does not permit government officials to use the power of their office to silence critics and suppress speech they don't like," Andrew Crespo, a Harvard law professor and general counsel to the school's AAUP chapter, said in a statement.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Paul Simao)
