Trump admin wins case on blocking funding of Columbia University

The Trump administration won dismissal of a lawsuit by two unions seeking to stop the withholding of $400 million in federal funds from Columbia University.

The judge who dismissed the case said the groups lacked the legal right to bring the lawsuit, saying that while Columbia is the recipient of the grants, the school itself was not a participant in the case.

Funding pulled over campus protests

The American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers sued the Republican administration after US Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced that the administration was pulling grants and contracts from the school following a series of pro-Palestinian protests on campus, reported Bloomberg.

On Monday, US District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil dismissed the lawsuit, which sought an order to restore the funding, but gave the unions a chance to revise and refile their claims. Late in the day, the unions filed a notice that they will appeal.

Tensions rise between White House and Columbia University

The decision comes amid a wider conflict between the Trump administration and institutions of higher learning. Earlier this month, the Department of Education said it planned to revoke the accreditation of Columbia, claiming that the university no longer meets federal standards.

Officials concluded that the school is in violation of anti-discrimination laws, which is the latest effort by the Trump administration to punish schools for their handling of pro-Palestinian protests, reported Bloomberg.

What was Judge’s argument for dismissing the lawsuit?

The Judge said the unions are “inserting themselves into a quarrel” between the administration and Columbia, which “Columbia wishes to resolve cooperatively,” according to Bloomberg.

President Donald Trump and McMahon have previously suggested that negotiations with Columbia were headed in the right direction, especially compared to another Ivy League institution, Harvard University, which has challenged the administration’s decision to cancel its federal funding and revoke its license to admit international students in court.

“This is a disappointing ruling, but by no means the end of the fight,” AAUP President Todd Wolfson said in a statement. “The Trump administration’s threats and coercion at Columbia University are part of an authoritarian agenda that extends far beyond Columbia,” he said.