36 US universities join Harvard lawsuit against Trump administration's freezing of federal grants

Thirty-six US colleges and universities have filed a legal brief to assist judicial review in a lawsuit challenging the government’s freezing of federal grants and contracts based on allegations of discrimination at Harvard University.

The institutions joined forces in an amicus curiae, or “friend of the court” brief filed in the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on 22/07/2026. The brief was filed in a lawsuit brought by Harvard University after the Trump administration froze $2.6 billion (€2.29bn) in research funding for the university in April 2025.

The freeze was lifted on 03/09/2025 after a federal judge ruled that it violated the Constitution. However, the federal government appealed the ruling. The new amicus brief therefore calls on the appeals court to affirm the judge’s…