White House Holds Many Levers in Its Fight With Harvard

A federal judge handed Harvard University a win in court Wednesday, but any hope the school has of returning to business as usual still faces significant obstacles.

- Douglas Belkin

President Trump has vowed to appeal the decision, which ordered the administration to restore $2.2 billion in research funds. Harvard’s prospects beyond the Boston judge appointed by President Barack Obama who ruled in its favor remain unclear. Meanwhile, the government has a deep arsenal of weapons to exert pressure on the Ivy League school.

Harvard depends on government support to win future research grants, enroll international students and maintain its tax-exempt status. Trump has applied pressure on all those fronts. Shortly after the judge’s ruling, the White House said the school remained ineligible for future funds.

Harvard President Alan Garber acknowledged the challenges.

“We will continue to assess the implications of the opinion, monitor further legal developments, and be mindful of the changing landscape in which we seek to fulfill our mission,” Garber wrote to the school community after the ruling.

On the legal front, the Supreme Court has given the White House some reason to be optimistic if the case makes it there, said Jodie Ferise, an attorney with Church Church Hittle and Antrim.