Harvard's lawyers in the dispute

Harvard University has enlisted two high-profile attorneys, Robert Hur and William Burck, to represent it in a legal dispute with the Trump administration over the freezing of $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts. This action is part of the administration's broader effort to pressure elite universities into adopting campus reforms aligned with its political agenda.

Robert Hur, former U.S. Attorney and special counsel who investigated President Joe Biden's handling of classified information, brings significant Justice Department experience and conservative credibility. William Burck, known for representing various Trump associates during the Mueller probe and defending New York Mayor Eric Adams, has a long-standing presence in complex political cases.

Both lawyers are respected in conservative legal circles, a factor in Harvard's strategy to be taken seriously by the Trump administration. In a strong rebuke to government demands, the lawyers stated that Harvard has made substantial internal changes but will not yield its autonomy or constitutional rights. Harvard President Alan Garber reaffirmed the university's independence in admissions, teaching, and hiring decisions, positioning the conflict as a critical moment in the broader national debate over academic freedom and government influence.

The legal team, represented by William Burck and Hur, emphasized Harvard’s refusal to compromise its academic independence. Quinn Emanuel, known for representing clients with varying political affiliations, also represents Elon Musk—an influential Trump supporter and donor—and Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia in a Supreme Court case challenging U.S. deportation policies under Trump. Even though the company charges up to $3,000 per hour, it is working on behalf of Garcia while billing Harvard. Despite their previous close ties to Trump and his allies, Burck and Hur maintain professional adaptability, highlighting the firm's commitment to serving client interests regardless of political affiliation. With President Donald Trump's administration, Harvard University has entered a high-stakes dispute over a variety of policy demands, such as limiting student protests, altering admissions and hiring procedures, and submitting to government audits. Harvard faces threats to its tax-exempt status and a freeze on over $2 billion in federal grants for refusing to comply. Backed by its $53 billion endowment and influential alumni, Harvard has become a focal point of resistance against Trump’s efforts to exert control over academic institutions. The university, led by President Alan Garber, who was just appointed, says that the demands violate its First Amendment rights and go beyond the authority of the government. The clash, considered unprecedented in U.S. higher education history, has drawn attention to both the aggressive stance of Trump’s policy advisers and the potential rallying cry for other educational institutions.

In a separate legal setback, a federal judge ruled Trump's administration had failed to comply with court orders to return Kilmar Ábrego García, a wrongfully deported legal U.S. resident. Additionally, Trump escalated his dispute with Harvard University over alleged campus antisemitism by cutting $2.3 billion in federal grants. Despite federal demands, Harvard refused to alter its diversity and inclusion programs, drawing support from Barack Obama and Yale faculty.

This legal battle is not the first time Harvard has challenged the Trump administration. In July 2020, Harvard and MIT filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to prevent the enforcement of federal guidelines barring international students attending colleges and universities offering only online courses from staying in the United States. The lawsuit argued that the policy would effectively strand hundreds of thousands of international students and muddy plans for a return to class amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The involvement of the lawyers—both well-known in conservative legal circles and both selected in the past for prominent Trump orbit positions—is an interesting wrinkle to a hugely consequential dispute between the federal government and the country's oldest and wealthiest university. The clash is shaping up to be a seminal moment in Trump's ongoing efforts to bend elite universities to his will by threatening to withhold billions of dollars in federal funding if they don't agree to major campus reforms.

Harvard's legal strategy, led by attorneys with deep ties to conservative legal circles, underscores the university's commitment to defending its autonomy and constitutional rights. As the legal battle unfolds, it will serve as a critical test of the balance between government authority and academic freedom in the United States.