The Harvard faculty chapter of the American Association of University Professors and the national arm of the academic organisation said in a lawsuit filed on Friday in a Boston federal court that the administration was trying to unlawfully undermine academic freedom and free speech on the school’s campus.
The US department of justice, which is defending the administration’s policies in court, did not respond to a request for comment yesterday.
Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Harvard declined to comment.
Several elite universities including Harvard have seen their federal funding threatened by President Donald Trump’s administration over pro-Palestinian campus protests as well as other issues such as diversity, equity and inclusion programs and transgender policies.
The US departments of education and health and human services along with the US general services administration on March 31 said that US$255.6 million in contracts between Harvard, its affiliates and the federal government were being reviewed, along with US$8.7 billion in multi-year grant commitments.
In a subsequent letter, those agencies demanded Harvard meet numerous conditions to continue receiving federal funds, including banning the use of masks, eliminating DEI programmes and agreeing to cooperate with law enforcement agencies.
Many pro-Palestinian protesters have worn masks during demonstrations.
The letter also said Harvard must review and make changes to programmes and departments that “fuel antisemitic harassment” and hold students accountable for policy violations.
The administration has cited its authority to enforce Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, an anti-discrimination law covering institutions that receive federal funding.
But the lawsuit alleged the administration had failed to follow the statute’s requirements in seeking to cut off funding and that its actions violated free speech rights enshrined in the US constitution’s first amendment.
The plaintiffs alleged that the goal was to “impose on Harvard University political views and policy preferences advanced by the Trump administration and commit the university to punishing disfavoured speech”.
“The first amendment does not permit government officials to use the power of their office to silence critics and suppress speech they don’t like,” Andrew Crespo, a Harvard law professor and general counsel to the school’s AAUP chapter, said in a statement.