A slate of lawsuits filed or pending against federal agencies and universities has the potential to reshape governance, research funding and campus policy across American higher education in 2026. The litigation docket spotlights challenges to the Trump administration’s decisions on research grants, campus speech and immigration enforcement, with Harvard, other major research institutions, and the federal government squarely engaged. Coverage compiles the cases that could have sector‑wide effects: funding freezes, challenges to federal conditions on grants, disputes over international scholar visas, and constitutional questions tied to campus responses to protests. Courts have already issued mixed rulings, including orders blocking some administrative actions and calling agency conduct into question. The outcomes will influence how universities structure compliance, negotiate federal awards, and protect academic freedom. University general counsel offices, accrediting bodies and research administrators should track case law developments closely: judges’ decisions could recalibrate the balance between institutional autonomy and federal oversight, and prompt strategic shifts in contracting, grant acceptance, and campus speech policies.