WSSNews Vol. 39 No. 28

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2025

University of California Employees and Students Sue Trump Administration

University of California students, faculty, staff, and labor unions filed a federal lawsuit on September 16 against the Trump administration, alleging it is using civil rights laws to restrict academic freedom and undermine free speech.

The lawsuit follows the federal government decisions to fine the U.C. system $1.2 billion and freeze research funding at UCLA over al- leged antisemitism and other civil rights violations.

According to the suit, the Trump administration's proposed settle- ment with UCLA demands access to faculty, student, and staff data, ends diversity scholarships, bans over- night demonstrations on campus, and requires cooperation with im- migration enforcement. The plain- tiffs say these actions threaten the independence of universities and faculty say....

HANDS OFF OUR

UG public research.

"The blunt cudgel the Trump admin- istration has repeatedly employed in this attack on the independence of institutions of higher education has been the abrupt, unilateral, and unlawful termination of federal re- search funding on which those insti- tutions and the public interest rely," the lawsuit states.

The UC system, while not a direct party to the suit, said it is pursuing legal and advocacy efforts to restore funding. Spokesman Stett Holbrook said, “Federal cuts to research fund- ing threaten lifesaving biomedical research, hamper U.S. economic competitiveness and jeopardize the health of Americans who depend on the University's cutting-edge medi- cal science and innovation."

UC President James Milliken de- scribed the federal actions as "one of faculty say....

By Bo Tefu California Black Media the gravest threats to the University of California in our 157-year histo- ry." The UC system receives more than $17 billion annually in federal support, including nearly $10 bil- lion for Medicare and Medicaid re- search, and student aid. This lawsuit follows similar actions against private universities, includ- ing Harvard, Brown, and Columbia, as well as K-12 public school dis- tricts investigated for alleged dis- crimination in diversity programs. The case is led by the American As- sociation of University Professors and represented by Democracy For- ward, a legal group experienced in challenging frozen federal funding.

The outcome could set a national precedent for how the federal gov- ernment interacts with public uni- versities, shaping research, campus governance, and academic freedom.