A broader federal push into campus oversight intensified this month as courts and agencies clashed with universities. A recent federal ruling criticized the government’s use of Title VI civil-rights enforcement against elite institutions, saying notices failed to specify alleged violations, while other parts of the administration have pursued funding withdrawals tied to campus responses to antisemitism and protest activity. At the same time, a federal judge in California issued an order blocking the administration’s latest round of Education Department layoffs, preserving key oversight offices. Higher-education legal experts say these twin developments raise the stakes for institutions that face both civil-rights probes and diminished federal administrative capacity. University leaders argue the actions create compliance burdens and legal uncertainty that could jeopardize research and program funding.