The Justice Department filed an appeal this week of a federal judge’s decision that blocked the Trump administration’s freeze on Harvard University research funding. The appeal, filed with the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, seeks to overturn U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs’ finding that the administration unlawfully targeted Harvard and violated the university’s First Amendment rights, the administration said in court filings. The litigation stems from a monthslong dispute in which the Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism reviewed roughly $9 billion in Harvard grants and contracts and the Education Department pressed the university over campus protests and civil-rights enforcement. Harvard called the district court’s judgment a vindication and said it remains confident in its legal position; the White House defended its actions and reiterated concerns about campus safety, according to court statements and media briefings. The appeal keeps research funding uncertainty in play for Harvard and peer institutions. If the appeals court reverses Burroughs, the administration could reassert enforcement leverage over federal grants and shape compliance expectations across campuses; if the ruling stands, it constrains federal retaliation tactics tied to campus speech and discipline. The case will be closely watched by research universities and legal observers for its implications on funding, First Amendment protections in higher education, and federal/university relations.