Harvard battles Trump administration in court over canceled funding

The case marks a crucial moment in the White House's escalating conflict with Harvard, which has been in the administration's crosshairs after it rejected a list of demands to make changes to its governance, hiring and admissions practices in April. Among the earliest actions the administration took against Harvard was the cancellation of hundreds of grants awarded to researchers on the grounds that the school failed to do enough to address harassment of Jewish students on its campus. After Harvard rejected those demands, it said the administration began retaliating against it in violation of the free speech protections of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment by abruptly cutting funding the school says is vital to supporting scientific and medical research.