Noah Feldman, Columnist

Cutting Columbia’s Aid Over Alleged Antisemitism Is Illegal

The Trump administration’s decision to cancel $400 million in grants and contracts with the school fits a pattern of taking unlawful actions without regard for the consequences.

March 10, 2025 at 7:33 PM UTC

By Noah Feldman

Noah Feldman is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. A professor of law at Harvard University, he is author, most recently, of “To Be a Jew Today: A New Guide to God, Israel, and the Jewish People."

Antisemitism or protected speech?
Photographer: Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images

Provide news feedback or report an error

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

The Trump administration has sown fear at the nation’s research universities with the cancellation of $400 million in federal grants and contracts with Columbia University because of what it alleges are antisemitism-related violations of Title VI on the school’s campus.

As far as I can determine, the action is unlawful. Federal law and regulations say the government can’t terminate these grants or contracts for violation of the anti-discrimination law unless a court has found that it has done so after a hearing at which the university has the right to defend itself.