In a bold move against the Trump administration, the University of California system—including its faculty, staff, student organizations, and labor unions—launched a lawsuit on Tuesday, September 16, 2025. They contend that the administration is leveraging civil rights laws to mount a campaign aimed at curtailing academic freedom and undermining free speech across its campuses.
This legal challenge follows closely on the heels of severe sanctions imposed by the Trump administration on the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Just weeks prior, UCLA was hit with a staggering $1.2 billion fine and had its research funding frozen, amidst accusations of fostering antisemitism on campus and other alleged civil rights violations. This marked the first instance of a public university facing such a widespread funding freeze, though similar allegations had previously led to paused or frozen federal funding for elite private institutions like Harvard, Brown, and Columbia.
The lawsuit details several demands reportedly made by the Trump administration in its proposed settlement offer to UCLA. These include granting government access to sensitive faculty, student, and staff data, requiring the release of admissions and hiring information, eliminating diversity scholarships, prohibiting overnight demonstrations on university property, and enforcing cooperation with immigration authorities.
As of now, neither the Department of Justice nor the UC system president’s office has issued an immediate response to the lawsuit.
Stett Holbrook, a spokesperson for the University of California system, clarified that while the university itself is not a direct party to this specific lawsuit, it is actively engaged in numerous other legal and advocacy efforts to safeguard and restore its vital funding. He emphasized that “Federal cuts to research funding threaten lifesaving biomedical research, hamper U.S. economic competitiveness and jeopardize the health of Americans who depend on the University’s cutting-edge medical science and innovation.”
The coalition spearheading this lawsuit is led by the American Association of University Professors union (AAUP) and is being represented by Democracy Forward, a legal advocacy group known for initiating similar lawsuits against the Trump administration concerning frozen federal funds. The lawsuit, filed in a San Francisco federal court, strongly asserts that the administration’s repeated tactic has been the “abrupt, unilateral, and unlawful termination of federal research funding on which those institutions and the public interest rely,” serving as a “blunt cudgel” in its attack on the independence of higher education institutions.
Beyond universities, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has also initiated numerous federal investigations targeting K-12 school districts.
University of California President James Milliken disclosed on Monday that all ten UC campuses are currently under federal investigation or facing other actions, though he did not provide specific details. He described the situation as “one of the gravest threats to the University of California in our 157-year history.” Milliken highlighted the university system’s reliance on over $17 billion in federal support annually, which includes nearly $10 billion in Medicare and Medicaid funding, as well as crucial funds for research and student financial aid.
The Trump administration has consistently utilized its authority over federal funding to advocate for reforms in elite colleges, which the president has frequently criticized as being overly liberal and tolerant of antisemitism. Additionally, the administration has launched investigations into diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, alleging that they discriminate against white and Asian American students.
In a related development this summer, Columbia University agreed to a $200 million settlement to resolve investigations into government allegations that the institution violated federal anti-discrimination laws. This agreement also led to the reinstatement of over $400 million in research grants. The Trump administration is reportedly using this settlement with Columbia as a blueprint for negotiations with other universities, establishing financial penalties as a new expected standard.