Federal litigation over academic freedom and federal oversight intensified as the Justice Department said it will appeal a judge’s ruling favoring Harvard. The move comes amid a wave of state laws and federal pressures this year aimed at restricting classroom content, diversity programs and university governance. Legal scholars point to recent 2025 federal district decisions — including divergent rulings in Alabama, Massachusetts and California — that are reshaping how courts treat academic freedom and First Amendment protections on campus. Trustees, general counsel offices and academic leaders now face heightened uncertainty about curricular autonomy, federal funding conditions, and how litigation will influence institutional risk and board-level governance.