Princeton and 35 Universities Join Harvard's Federal Lawsuit Over Politicized Research Grant Cuts

Princeton and 35 Universities Join Harvard's Federal Lawsuit Over Politicized Research Grant Cuts

In a major consolidation of resistance from higher education institutions against federal executive power, Princeton University and 35 other leading research colleges—including the entire Ivy League—signed an amicus curiae brief in federal appeals court in late July 2026. The filing supports Harvard University's high-stakes lawsuit (President and Fellows of Harvard College v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) challenging the Trump administration's sweeping cuts to federal research grants.

The Trump administration has increasingly deployed federal funding as leverage to pressure universities into conforming with political demands¹ regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, curricula, and campus governance. In Harvard's case, the federal government restricted $2.2 billion in research funding, ostensibly over allegations of campus antisemitism. Harvard Medical School alone saw over 350 grant contracts terminated, totaling approximately $230 million per year.

Harvard filed suit in June 2025, and in September 2025, a federal district court judge ruled that the government's termination of the grants was unlawful. The federal government appealed the decision, leading to the current litigation in the court of appeals.

The 29-page amicus brief filed by Princeton and its peers argues that these retroactive, politically motivated grant terminations are unwarranted and threaten the United States' standing as a global leader in scientific discovery. The brief states:

"Draconian cuts to federal research funding endanger this longstanding, mutually beneficial relationship between institutions of higher learning and the American public—especially when funding is terminated or withheld for reasons wholly unrelated to the merits of funded research."

The litigation coincides with a report released by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) accusing the administration of using federal grants to impose "governmental orthodoxy" and retaliate against university speech. While some institutions, such as Columbia University and the University of Virginia, have agreed to financial settlements and policy concessions to restore their funding, Princeton has notably refused to make any deal with the federal government, with its president, Christopher L. Eisgruber, publicly warning that the administration's actions present "the greatest threat to American universities since the Red Scare of the 1950s."

The outcome of the appeal will establish a critical constitutional boundary on whether the executive branch can retroactively weaponize federal research grants to enforce political compliance at private and public universities.