Harvard University asks judge for fast ruling in US funding freeze lawsuit
Judge Burroughs has temporarily blocked both the funding freeze and a US bar on letting Harvard enroll international students. PHOTO: REUTERS
Harvard University lawyers urged a US federal judge to rule immediately that the Trump administration's freeze on US$2.2 billion (S$2.83 billion) in funding is illegal and that it violated the school's free speech and regulatory rights.
In a court filing on June 2, Harvard argued that the US has not produced any evidence to show that the administration's freeze was a legally justified response to address anti-semitism and alleged liberal bias on campus.
The school asked US District Judge Allison Burroughs to rule more quickly than she might in a typical lawsuit to reinstate Harvard's funding, a ruling also known as a summary judgment.
'The Government's rush to freeze and terminate billions of dollars in current and future federal funding to Harvard for critical research lacks the basic requisites of reasoned decision-making,' Harvard's lawyers wrote in a filing in Boston federal court.
As the richest and oldest US university, Harvard has become the main target of US President Donald Trump's attempts to force schools to crack down on anti-semitism, remove perceived political bias and eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes.
Mr Trump also wants to cap Harvard's foreign student enrollment at 15 per cent, revoke its tax-exempt status and cancel its remaining federal contracts.
Judge Burroughs has temporarily blocked both the funding freeze and a US bar on letting Harvard enroll international students, which is the subject of a separate lawsuit. BLOOMBERG
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
38 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Estonian parliament votes to withdraw from landmines treaty
VILNIUS - The Estonian parliament on Wednesday voted in favour of withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention that bans the use of anti-personnel landmines amid concerns over the military threat posed by neighbouring Russia. Eighty-one members of the 101 parliament supported the motion, its press office said. All five European Union and NATO countries which border Russia – Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Finland - have said they plan to exit the international treaty due to the military threat from their much larger neighbour. Russia is not a member of the Ottawa Convention and has used landmines in its invasion of Ukraine. The Estonian vote follows those in Latvia and Lithuania, where parliaments have already approved the withdrawal. The countries would be able to stockpile and lay landmines six months after informing other treaty members and the United Nations of their decision. None of the five countries have done so yet. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jody Williams, who was awarded the distinction in 1997 in recognition of her work for the banning and clearing of anti-personnel mines, has criticised the decisions of Russia's neighbours. "Landmines don't influence the outcome of a war... All you get is a mess afterwards that threatens your own population," she told the Guardian newspaper in April. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
39 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Putin openly questions peace talks after blaming Ukraine for deadly bridge attack in Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the government via video link at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia June 4, 2025. Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via REUTERS MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday openly questioned the point of peace talks with Ukraine after accusing Kyiv's senior leadership of ordering deadly terrorist attacks on bridges in Russia that killed seven and injured 115 more. Russian investigators said that Ukraine blew up a highway bridge over a railway on Saturday just as a passenger train with 388 people on board was underneath it. The attacks came ahead of peace talks in Turkey on Monday. Putin said the attacks on the bridge in Bryansk and another one in Kursk had been directed clearly against the civilian population and that the attacks were evidence that the Kyiv government "was degenerating into a terrorist organisation, and its sponsors are becoming accomplices of terrorists." "The current Kyiv regime does not need peace at all," Putin said at a televised meeting with senior officials. "What is there to talk about? How can we negotiate with those who rely on terror?" Putin suggested that any ceasefire would simply be used to pump Ukraine full of Western weapons. Ukraine has not commented on the bridge blasts. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Thailand vows measures to prevent money laundering at casinos
BANGKOK – Thailand plans to record and monitor financial transactions of visitors to casinos to deter money laundering, officials said as the government sought to win over opponents of a bill to legalise gambling venues as part of new integrated resorts. The South-east Asian nation will enforce rules for responsible gaming, including a ban on casino advertisements and denial of entry for individuals deemed to carry 'financial risks', said Mr Suksit Srichomkhwan, Deputy Secretary-General to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. Thailand's gaming regulations will be modelled on Singapore, Japan and the United Arab Emirates, which limit the number of licences and require mega investments, he told a briefing in Bangkok on June 4. Each entertainment complex in Thailand will require a minimum investment of 100 billion baht (S$3.94 billion), he said. Ms Paetongtarn's administration was forced to delay a Bill to legalise casinos earlier in 2025 due to mounting opposition from religious groups, anti-gambling networks and some political parties. The government has pitched it as a way to burnish the appeal of its tourism industry, a key pillar of Thailand's economy. If the Bill is passed, it could pave way for Thailand to capture a slice of the growing global gaming market alongside Macau and Singapore, and tap into another potential growth engine to galvanise its sluggish economy. Wynn Resorts and MGM Resorts International have shown interests in investing in Thai casinos, according to officials. The so-called entertainment complexes can boost foreign tourist arrivals by 5 per cent to 20 per cent and lift average spending per person per trip by about 22,000 baht, Mr Suksit said. But the critics of the casino plan have argued the gaming venues will fuel gambling addiction and benefit big businesses and foreign companies, besides them turning into avenues for money laundering. 'Money laundering will be almost impossible in these premises' due to stringent surveillance, he said. 'Even the operators want to compete in a strictly regulated environment.' The draft legislation proposes that casinos take up only 10 per cent of the spaces within each integrated entertainment complex, which will be required to house at least four other types of businesses. It also moots stringent entry requirements for Thai citizens, including proof that they have 50 million baht in bank deposits. The government is not in a hurry to push through the Bill as it is committed to ensuring the legislation is 'clean and clear', Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat said. The entertainment complexes can be a new engine to drive growth amid rising geopolitical challenges, he said, adding that the aim is to pass the Bill during the remainder of the government's two-year tenure. Bloomberg Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
