Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit from Teachers’ Unions Against Funding Cuts
A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit initiated by two teachers’ unions challenging funding cuts by the Trump administration to Columbia University.
The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) filed the lawsuit in March after the Trump administration reduced nearly $400 million from Ivy League universities, citing concerns over how they handled anti-Semitism on campus. In her ruling, Judge Mary Kay Viscosil remarked that the case lacked merit since the plaintiffs did not directly suffer harm, and Columbia was notably absent from the proceedings.
“Our democracy can’t function properly if individual judges provide extraordinary relief to all plaintiffs seeking to contest enforcement actions,” the ruling stated.
As of now, the AAUP and AFT have not responded to requests for comments.
The ongoing tension between Columbia and the federal government gained traction amid the Israel-Hamas War, with the campus experiencing significant anti-Semitic protests. Reports suggest that the university did not impose substantial punishments on over 100 students involved in a pro-Hamas demonstration, even after university staff members were reportedly held hostage during the protest.
Ivy League institutions agreed to fulfill several requests from the administration in March to regain the revocation of the $400 million in federal grants. These requests included restricting mask usage on campus, hiring more campus police officers, strengthening disciplinary measures, and enforcing existing protest rules at Columbia. However, the university did not act on the demand to adjust its international student admissions policy for better foreign student intake.
In May, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) concluded that Columbia University violated the civil rights of students by showing “deliberate indifference” to the anti-Semitism issue. The administration is now looking to withdraw the school’s accreditation.
Neither Columbia nor the White House has commented on the situation.
