The Trump administration faces a lawsuit from University of California faculty, staff, student organizations, and all labor unions representing UC workers. The suit alleges that the administration is using civil rights laws to limit academic freedom and free speech at the university.
This legal action follows the administration’s recent $1.2 billion fine against the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and a freeze on its research funding after accusations of antisemitism and other civil rights violations on campus. UCLA became the first public university to experience such a broad federal funding freeze. Similar measures have been taken against private institutions like Harvard, Brown, and Columbia.
The lawsuit claims that as part of a proposed settlement with UCLA, the Trump administration has demanded access to data on faculty, students, and staff; release of admissions and hiring records; an end to diversity scholarships; a ban on overnight demonstrations; and cooperation with immigration enforcement.
A spokesperson for the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Stett Holbrook, spokesman for the University of California system, stated that while UC is not directly involved in this particular lawsuit, it participates in multiple legal efforts aimed at restoring federal support. “Federal cuts to research funding threaten lifesaving biomedical research, hamper U.S. economic competitiveness and jeopardize the health of Americans who depend on the University’s cutting-edge medical science and innovation,” Holbrook said.
The coalition behind the lawsuit is led by the American Association of University Professors union (AAUP) and represented by Democracy Forward. The group has previously challenged similar actions by the Trump administration regarding frozen federal funds. According to their filing in federal court in San Francisco: “The blunt cudgel the Trump administration has repeatedly employed in this attack on the independence of institutions of higher education has been the abrupt, unilateral, and unlawful termination of federal research funding on which those institutions and the public interest rely.”
In addition to actions targeting universities, dozens of investigations have also been launched into K-12 school districts by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.
University of California President James Milliken noted Monday that all 10 UC campuses are now under investigation or facing other actions from federal authorities but did not provide further details. “This represents one of the gravest threats to the University of California in our 157-year history,” Milliken said. He added that UC receives over $17 billion annually from federal sources—nearly $10 billion comes from Medicare and Medicaid—with additional funds supporting research initiatives and student aid.
Federal authorities have used control over funding as leverage for reforms at elite colleges accused by President Trump’s administration as being dominated by liberalism or antisemitism. Investigations into diversity initiatives have argued these programs discriminate against white and Asian American students.
Columbia University recently agreed to pay $200 million as part of a settlement addressing government allegations that it violated antidiscrimination laws—a deal that also restored more than $400 million in research grants. The approach used with Columbia is reportedly being applied as a model for settlements with other universities involving financial penalties.
