Judge orders Trump administration to restore $500 million in grant funding to UCLA

"LOS ANGELES A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore $500 million in federal grant funding that it froze at the University of California, Los Angeles. U.S. District Judge Rita Lin in San Francisco granted a preliminary injunction on Monday, saying the government likely violated the Administrative Procedure Act, which requires specific procedures and explanations for federal funding cuts."

"Instead, the government informed UCLA in generalized form letters that multiple grants from various agencies were being suspended but offered no specific details. In August, UCLA announced that the Trump administration had suspended $584 million in federal grants over allegations of civil rights violations related to antisemitism and affirmative action. Lin issued a ruling later that month that resulted in $81 million in grants from the National Science Foundation being restored to UCLA."

"The Trump administration has used its control of federal funding to push for reforms at elite colleges that the president decries as overrun by liberalism and antisemitism. The administration also has launched investigations into diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, saying they discriminate against white and Asian American students. Two Ivy League institutions, Columbia and Brown, struck deals to preserve funding that was held up by the Trump administration over similar claims that they had not done enough to respond to campus antisemitism."

A federal judge ordered restoration of $500 million in frozen federal grants to UCLA, finding the government likely violated the Administrative Procedure Act. The government suspended multiple grants with generalized form letters that provided no specific explanations. UCLA reported a suspension of $584 million in federal grants tied to allegations of civil rights violations related to antisemitism and affirmative action. A prior ruling restored $81 million in National Science Foundation grants after finding earlier cuts violated a preliminary injunction. The White House did not immediately comment. The administration has leveraged funding to push reforms and launched investigations into DEI programs; Columbia and Brown reached deals to preserve held funds.

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