A federal judge in San Francisco has issued a preliminary injunction preventing the Trump administration from imposing fines or cutting federal funding to the University of California system over allegations of discrimination without due process. The ruling comes after the administration demanded $1.2 billion from UCLA for allowing antisemitism on campus. The decision highlights concerns over the administration's efforts to influence university policies.
Late Friday, U.S. District Judge Rita Lin in San Francisco ruled that the Trump administration cannot fine the University of California or abruptly withhold federal funding based on claims of antisemitism or other discrimination without providing notice to affected faculty and holding a hearing. The injunction, which remains in effect indefinitely, stems from a lawsuit by labor unions and groups representing UC faculty, students, and employees.
The administration had accused UCLA of civil rights violations, demanding the university pay $1.2 billion to restore frozen research funding and maintain eligibility for future grants. UCLA became the first public university targeted in this manner, following similar actions against private institutions like Columbia University, where funding was frozen or paused.
In her decision, Judge Lin cited 'overwhelming evidence' that the administration was conducting a 'concerted campaign to purge "woke," "left," and "socialist" viewpoints from our country's leading universities.' She wrote, 'Agency officials, as well as the President and Vice President, have repeatedly and publicly announced a playbook of initiating civil rights investigations of preeminent universities to justify cutting off federal funding, with the goal of bringing universities to their knees and forcing them to change their ideological tune.' Lin added, 'It is undisputed that this precise playbook is now being executed at the University of California.'
The judge found the administration's actions constituted 'coercive and retaliatory conduct in violation of the First Amendment and Tenth Amendment.' UC, facing multiple civil rights probes, is in settlement talks but not a party to the lawsuit. University President James B. Milliken warned that the proposed fine would devastate the system, known for its top public colleges.
The administration's demands included UCLA adopting specific views on gender identity and screening foreign students for potential 'anti-American, anti-Western or antisemitic' activities. Previous settlements involved Brown University paying $50 million and Columbia $221 million. Lin's order also prohibits conditioning funding on measures that violate First Amendment rights, such as restricting research or imposing definitions of 'male' and 'female.'
President Donald Trump has criticized elite colleges for liberalism and antisemitism, launching probes into dozens of universities over racial preferences and diversity efforts alleged to discriminate against white and Asian American students. Declarations from UC faculty indicated they were avoiding 'left' or 'woke' topics due to fears of repercussions.