Over 12,000 Harvard alums lend weight to court battle with Trump in new filing

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More than 12,000 Harvard University alumni have signed onto a legal document in support of the university's lawsuit against the Trump administration.
The document, known as an amicus brief, hasn't been officially accepted by the court as of 2 p.m. Monday. It is a reaction to the federal government pulling or freezing nearly $3 billion in funding to the university.
'As alumni, we are deeply alarmed by the Government's reckless and unlawful attempts to assert control over the core functions of Harvard and its fellow institutions of higher education. Without due process or any recognizable basis in law — and with complete disregard for the freedoms the Constitution secures and the constraints it imposes — the Government has embarked on a campaign to deploy every power at its disposal to damage Harvard,' the brief reads.
The 12,000 alumni range from being a part of the Class of 1950 all the way through the Class of 2025. Crimson Courage, a community of Harvard alumni whose mission is to stand up for academic freedom, kicked off the campaign for signatures.
Several other individuals and groups have or aim to submit court documents in support of Harvard's lawsuit. Among them have been two dozen universities, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Council on Education, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression — also known as FIRE — and Columbia Alumni for Academic Freedom, according to court filings.
Read more: 'We are not just fighting for Harvard': For alums, this year feels different
'The Government's escalating attacks — and this case — are about much more than funding. The Government strikes at the very core of Harvard: the longstanding practices and values of openness, free inquiry, and mutual respect, and its founding commitment to veritas — the quest for truth above all,' the brief said.
'The Government's end goal is to narrow our freedoms to learn, teach, think and act, and to claim for itself the right to dictate who may enjoy those freedoms. As alumni, we attest that Harvard's true greatness resides in the ways we share these values and exercise these freedoms, which have long shaped how we understand and connect with one another, and how we anchor our continuing efforts to make a difference in service to the world,' it states.
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Read the original article on MassLive.