Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 20 attorneys general, filed an amicus brief today supporting Harvard University’s motion for summary judgment in litigation against a number of federal agencies for their unlawful cancellation of more than $2 billion in federal funding to the university.
In their brief, Raoul and the coalition argue that the Trump Administration’s unprecedented actions toward Harvard are retaliatory and unlawful, and that to the extent the administration targets other research universities in similar ways, the economies of states such as Illinois will see devastating effects.
“Not only is this federal funding freeze unlawful, but it also threatens the future education of American youth who plan to attend the oldest and one of the most prestigious universities in the country,” Raoul said. “I will continue to support lawful efforts to maintain federal funding that supports high-quality education and innovative research in Illinois and across the country.”
On April 11, the administration identified a series of demands that Harvard University must satisfy to receive federal research funding that had already been committed to the school. Harvard rightly refused to relinquish its academic independence, and the federal government subsequently announced that it was freezing over $2 billion in federal grants and contracts with the university.
Harvard then filed a lawsuit against the administration, and the university is requesting that a judge make an expedited ruling on the merits of the case. The coalition’s brief, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, supports Harvard in that effort.
Joining Raoul in filing the amicus brief are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
