Professors at Harvard University are scrambling to block investigations by President Donald Trump’s administration into almost $9 billion in taxpayer-funded government grants and contracts awarded to the prestigious school.
The Harvard officials have filed a lawsuit aimed at halting a federal review of the grants and contracts.
It comes as the Trump administration investigates anti-Semitism on college campuses, including Harvard.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in Boston, claims that the administration’s audit threatens academic freedom and free speech.
It was brought by the Harvard chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the national organization.
The legal challenge comes amid a broader federal effort to investigate antisemitic incidents and rhetoric on college campuses, including those at elite universities.
The Trump administration has increased scrutiny of institutions receiving taxpayer funds, particularly where student protests or faculty conduct have raised concerns.
According to the AAUP, the audit violates constitutional protections and is intended to intimidate faculty and chill campus discourse.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is representing the Trump administration in the case.
Harvard University, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has not commented publicly on the case.
The funding in question includes approximately $9 billion in federal grants