The Justice Department filed an appeal of a federal judge’s ruling that blocked the Trump administration’s orders to freeze roughly $2.2 billion in Harvard research funding. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs had ruled the funding freezes unlawful, finding the government acted arbitrarily in targeting the university and violating First Amendment protections. The appeal moves the dispute to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and prolongs a high-stakes legal battle over federal oversight of campus speech and research. The administration framed its actions as accountability for alleged failures to protect students, while Harvard called the district court’s ruling a vindication and defended the importance of research funding for science and national competitiveness. Legal observers say the case will shape the limits of federal enforcement in higher education and could influence how agencies approach grant oversight and civil-rights claims going forward.