WASHINGTON: A federal judge ordered President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday to restore frozen federal grants to the University of California, Los Angeles, a court filing showed.
In August, UCLA said the Trump administration froze funding of $584 million after the federal government reprimanded the school for its handling of pro-Palestinian protests.
The Los Angeles Times and Politico said US District Judge Rita Lin’s ruling ordered that more than $500 million in funding be restored to the university. Lin had ordered the Trump administration in August to restore part of the suspended federal funding to UCLA.
The Trump administration has cut or threatened to withhold federal funds to universities over their handling of protests against Israel’s assault on Gaza. The government says universities, including UCLA, allowed displays of antisemitism during the protests. Pro-Palestinian protesters, including some Jewish groups, say their criticism of Israel’s assault on Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territories should not be characterised as antisemitism and their advocacy for Palestinian rights should not be equated with extremism.
Lin, a judge in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, said in her order the indefinite suspensions of grants from the National Institutes of Health were likely “arbitrary and capricious.”
Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2025