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A judge ruled on Monday to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Columbia’s faculty, represented by two labor unions, over the Trump administration’s funding cuts to the university.
The American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers lack legal standing to sue, U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil determined.
“Conspicuously, Columbia, whose grants and contracts were terminated and whose funding is the subject of the relief Plaintiffs seek, is not a plaintiff,” Vyskocil wrote in her decision.
The judge said a case against these funding cuts should only be considered if it is brought on by Columbia, which has lost more than $400 million in federal funding from the Trump administration.
The Hill has reached out to the Education Department for comment.
“Our democracy cannot very well function if individual judges issue extraordinary relief to every plaintiff who clamors to object to executive action,” Vyskocil said.
The unions immediately appealed the decision to the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
“This is a disappointing ruling, but by no means the end of the fight. The Trump administration’s threats and coercion at Columbia University are part of an assault on education that extends far beyond Columbia. Ultimately, lifesaving research, basic civil liberties, and higher education in communities across the country are all on the line. Faculty, students, and the American public will not stand for it. We will continue to fight back,” the two groups said in a statement.
Columbia was the first school targeted by the Trump administration, suffering sweeping funding cuts both before and after it agreed to a list of demands from the White House.
The situation became more drastic after the Department of Education referred Columbia to its accreditor after its determination the university had violated Title VI. If Columbia loses accreditation, it could lose all access to federal student aid.
—Updated 9:40 a.m. EDT
