# Punishing Universities for Their Viewpoints Violates the First Amendment 

The Trump administration has taken actions to withhold billions of dollars in contracts from Harvard University unless the institution both adopts governance structures approved by the administration and engages in affirmative efforts to promote underrepresented conservative viewpoints on campus.

June 24, 2025 • News Releases 

I wanted to pass along[ a new piece](https://www.cato.org/blog/punishing-universities-their-viewpoints-violates-first-amendment) titled **“Punishing Universities for Their Viewpoints Violates the First Amendment”** by Cato Institute Director of the Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies [Thomas Berry](https://www.cato.org/people/thomas-berry).

The Trump administration has taken actions to withhold billions of dollars in contracts from Harvard University unless the institution both adopts governance structures approved by the administration and engages in affirmative efforts to promote underrepresented conservative viewpoints on campus. Harvard has now sued the Trump administration, arguing that these conditions violate the First Amendment (among other claims).

Cato has joined a broad coalition of organizations, led by the ACLU, to file an [***amicus*** ](https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/2025-06/harvard-v-hhs.pdf)[**brief**](https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/2025-06/harvard-v-hhs.pdf) supporting Harvard.

This brief explains why the actions taken by the administration violate core principles of free speech and academic freedom. While government funding is not a right, freedom from ideological coercion is a constitutional guarantee. Using the government’s purse strings to compel the government’s preferred speech environment violates both academic freedom and the First Amendment.

If you would like to speak with Berry, please contact [pr@​cato.​org](mailto:pr@cato.org) to set up an interview.

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