Thousands of Harvard University alumni have signed on to a legal message of support for their alma mater.....
Thousands of Harvard University alumni have signed on to a legal message of support for their alma mater, CNN has learned, an unprecedented effort to back the school as it challenges the Trump administration’s decision to halt more than $2.2 billion in federal funding.
More than 12,000 Harvard alumni – from the class of 1950 to the just-graduated class of 2025 – added their signatures to an amicus brief, a legal document sent by a third party to a lawsuit offering the court additional information about the case. The brief, first reported by CNN, was submitted to the court on Monday.
The signatories come from a range of backgrounds, united by a Harvard degree and concern for the future of their alma mater: a Wisconsin beer brewer, comedian Conan O’Brien, an Ohio fighter pilot, author Margaret Atwood, a South Dakota tribal leader and Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healy, among other prominent members of communities across the country and globe.
The group claims it’s the largest known alumni brief from a single school in history.
And the alumni involved believe it’s a historic moment as Harvard defends itself – and in turn, potentially sets a precedent for other colleges and universities amid a major clash over academic freedom, federal funding and campus oversight.
Harvard sued the Trump administration in April over its decision to freeze federal funding and has asked for an expedited final decision in the case. Oral arguments are scheduled for July 21.
“As alumni, we are deeply alarmed by the Government’s reckless and unlawful attempts to assert control over the core functions of Harvard and its fellow institutions of higher education. Without due process or any recognizable basis in law—and with complete disregard for the freedoms the Constitution secures and the constraints it imposes—the Government has embarked on a campaign to deploy every power at its disposal to damage Harvard,” the brief says.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/09/us/harvard-alumni-brief-legal-challenge