In brief
A San Francisco federal judge, Rita Lin, has ordered the Trump administration to reinstate $500 million in suspended federal grants to UCLA after determining that the government likely violated the Administrative Procedure Act by freezing funds without proper protocol. The original suspension was triggered by alleged civil rights violations related to antisemitism and affirmative action at the university. This order follows another ruling restoring $81 million in grants from the National Science Foundation. UCLA and other institutions have faced pressures and investigations from the administration over their diversity initiatives.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore $500 million in federal grant funding that it froze at the University of California, Los Angeles.
U.S. District Judge Rita Lin in San Francisco granted a preliminary injunction on Monday, stating that the government likely violated the Administrative Procedure Act, which mandates specific procedures and explanations when federal funding is cut. Instead, the administration sent UCLA generalized notifications about the suspension of multiple grants from various agencies without sufficient detail.
UCLA disclosed in August that the Trump administration had suspended $584 million in federal grants due to allegations of civil rights violations linked to antisemitism and affirmative action.
In a related ruling earlier this month, Judge Lin restored $81 million in grants from the National Science Foundation that had been cut from UCLA, confirming that those actions breached a June injunction in which she ordered the restoration of several terminated grants.
The administration’s use of federal funding as leverage to promote reforms at elite colleges, which have been criticized for purported liberal biases and antisemitism, is under scrutiny. The Trump administration has initiated investigations into diversity and inclusion efforts at universities, claiming discrimination against white and Asian American students.
Notably, two Ivy League institutions, Columbia and Brown, struck agreements to maintain federal funding previously held up by the administration under similar allegations concerning antisemitism on campuses.
In another notable case, Harvard contested funding cuts through litigation, leading to a federal ruling earlier in September declaring such actions as illegal retaliation for the university's refusal to comply with Trump’s demands.
The Trump administration proposed resolving its investigation into UCLA with a substantial $1 billion payment, a demand labeled as extortion by Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom, who argued it would be financially devastating for the university.
Monday's ruling pertains to numerous medical research grants from the National Institutes of Health, encompassing studies critical for advancing treatment and recovery in various fields of health. UCLA's accessibility to these grants is viewed as pivotal for enhancing public health initiatives.
