Judge Slaps Down Trump’s Latest Attack On Harvard
Trump tried to prevent Harvard from enrolling international students and was promptly shut down.
Donald Trump suffered another legal defeat on Friday, this time over his continued attempts to punish Harvard University for defying his attempts to force it to bend to his will. He’s very angry. This time, he tried to prevent them from accepting international students. A federal judge temporarily suspended the ban hours after Harvard filed the lawsuit, stating in a court order that the Trump administration’s decision was “clearly in retaliation” for its refusal of the government’s ideologically rooted political demands.
The judge who issued that ruling, Burroughs, is the same judge overseeing a second lawsuit filed by Harvard against the Trump administration over the freezing of $2.65 billion in federal funding.
CNN reported that the decision to bar international students violates the law, stating in its filing: “This is the latest government action in apparent retaliation for Harvard’s exercise of its First Amendment rights to resist government demands to control Harvard’s governance, its curriculum, and the ideology of its faculty and students.”
The judge agreed, stating in her order that Harvard had demonstrated it would suffer “immediate and irreparable harm” if the Trump administration revoked its accreditation before the court could consider the case. Another hearing is scheduled for Tuesday on the matter. Two days later, the judge is scheduled to hear arguments on whether the court should issue a preliminary injunction, which would stay the administration’s action until a final decision is made in the case.
A quarter of Harvard’s students are international students, who pay top dollar for their education and bring a wealth of knowledge and skills that greatly enrich Harvard itself and America as a whole.
In addition to his attempt to block international students and federal funding, Trump ordered the IRS to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status.
Donald Trump has done one thing: he’s made Harvard the hero of this story, uniting large segments of the population, many of whom couldn’t attend—or afford—them. But we know who the bad guys and the good guys are in this story.
Go to Harvard!
