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Inside Higher Ed @insidehighered.com · 23h

Tracking Key Lawsuits Against the Trump Administration

Higher education groups are suing the federal government at an exceptional scale to block executive orders, DEI guidance and other policy changes. Here’s the latest on the legal challenges. https://bit.ly/46VfIDV

#HigherEd #EDUSky #AcademicSky

An image of trump on the left, a building on the right, and the scales of justice in the middle.

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AAUP @aaup.org · 1d

NO LOYALTY OATHS IN HIGHER ED!

Trump's attacks on our universities are an attempt to consolidate power. This loyalty oath directly undermines our right to academic freedom & goes against every democratic principle our country should uphold.

Please click below, sign, & share.

#DefendHigherEd

University Administrations: Reject Trump's "Loyalty Oath" Compacts

The Trump administration is trying to blackmail schools to let him and his unqualified bureaucrats run our schools. They want to dictate what schools teach, who they admit and hire, what researchers s...

actionnetwork.org

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UC-AFT Bay Area Chapter @ucaftbayarea.bsky.social · 1d

Speakers include Catherine E. Lhamon, Brian Soucek, Asli Ü. Bali

An image listing the speakers for an academic event, set against a background of the UC Berkeley campus and the San Francisco Bay Area.

The text reads:
Speakers

Catherine E. Lhamon, Executive Director, Edley Center on Law & Democracy, UC Berkeley School of Law, former Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education.

Brian Soucek, Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Law and Chancellor's Fellow, UC Davis School of Law and member of the AAUP "Committee A" on Academic Freedom and Tenure.

Asli Ü. Bali, Howard M. Holtzmann Professor of Law, Yale Law School and President of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA).

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UC-AFT Bay Area Chapter @ucaftbayarea.bsky.social · 1d

Join a panel and discussion about the recent UCOP release of faculty, staff, and student names to the Dept of Ed's Office of Civil Rights.

Thurs, Oct 9, 4-6pm, Maude Fife Room, 315 Wheeler Hall.

Co-sponsored by @ucaft.bsky.social, @freedom2learn.bsky.social, Berkeley Faculty Association

An image advertising a campus event titled "Academic Freedom and the Release of Names."

The text on the image reads:
Thursday, October 9, 4-6 pm
Maude Fife Room, 315 Wheeler Hall
Cosponsors: BFA, UC-AFT, BFF2L

The main body of text describes the event: "The recent UCOP release of faculty, staff and student names to the federal Office of Civil Rights, made public by UCB's decision to notify the 160 named from this campus, has raised a host of questions about the reality and resilience of academic freedom in our classrooms. BFA, UC-AFT, and BFF2L are cosponsoring a panel and discussion about the regulatory background, history and political issues raised by the weaponization of Title VI by this administration and its implications for our capacity to teach freely on this campus. All are welcome."

The background of the image shows a view of the UC Berkeley campus and the surrounding city.

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Joey Fishkin @fishkin.bsky.social · 3d

I thought I'd put the administration's proposed "compact" with universities in context, so I wrote the blog post below.

It's especially for journalists covering this story!

Many details about how the compact itself works and why the administration has retreated to this strategy.

Balkinization: The Art of Replacing the Law with the Deal

A group blog on constitutional law, theory, and politics

balkin.blogspot.com

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UC-AFT Bay Area Chapter @ucaftbayarea.bsky.social · 4d

Gov. Gavin Newsom announces ‘independent review’ into UC Berkeley’s turnover of names to federal government www.dailycal.org/news/state/g... via @dailycal.bsky.social

Gov. Gavin Newsom announces ‘independent review’ into UC Berkeley’s turnover of names to federal government

At the press conference in Campbell Hall, which was held to sign into law legislation advancing quantum and fusion research in the state, Gov. Gavin Newsom lauded the importance of

www.dailycal.org

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AAUP @aaup.org · 4d

UC’s Academic Council calls on the Office of the President & the UC Board of Regents to unequivocally reject governmental demands that compromise institutional autonomy and #academicfreedom.

This is the way.

#DefendHigherEd

Brian Soucek @brsoucek.bsky.social · 4d

Strong statement today from UC's Academic Senate:

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Anil Kalhan @akalhan.bsky.social · 5d

Newsom: "If any California university signs this radical agreement, they’ll lose billions in state funding – including Cal Grants – instantly. California will not bankroll schools that sell out their students, professors, researchers, and surrender academic freedom"

California vows to ‘instantly’ cut funding to universities that cave to Trump ‘compact’

Governor Gavin Newsom urges schools not to sign ‘radical agreement’ to cuts to departments, students and speech

www.theguardian.com

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Stacy Fahrenthold @sfahrenthold.bsky.social · 4d

@uofcalifornia.bsky.social systemwide Academic Council today:

"There can be no clearer attack on academic freedom than [Trump's] attempt to dictate curricular content, research priorities, hiring decisions, & admissions standards."

senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/_files/repor...

senate.universityofcalifornia.edu

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 5d

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday threatened to cut billions in state funding from the University of Southern California if it complies with a Trump administration request to impose the president’s political priorities on campus. https://cal.news/42n1ESs

📸 Kirby Lee via AP

Gov. Gavin Newsom threatened to withhold state funding from the University of Southern California if it complies with a list of conservative requests from the White House. Photo by Kirby Lee via AP Photo

Hed: Newsom threatens to cut USC funding if it complies with Trump demands

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Veena Dubal @veenadubal.bsky.social · 5d

“This is extortion, plain and simple.

It is not hyperbole to say that the future of higher education.. requires that every university reject it…The only solution is solidarity and collective action against this effort at federal control over higher education.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/o...

Opinion | Trump’s ‘Compact’ With Universities Is Just Extortion

www.nytimes.com

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AAUP @aaup.org · 5d

The Trump admin’s offer to give preferential treatment to institutions that toe the party line reeks of bribery in exchange for allegiance to a partisan ideological agenda.

This is corruption.

Adherence to ‘loyalty oaths’ would usher in a new era of thought policing in American higher education.

Universities Must Reject Trump Admin 'Loyalty Oath' Compacts

The AAUP and AFT warn that the Trump administration’s offer to give preferential treatment to colleges and universities that court government favor in exchange for allegiance to a partisan ideological...

www.aaup.org

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UC-AFT Bay Area Chapter @ucaftbayarea.bsky.social · 6d

“When UC Berkeley tries to crack down on any one of the 160 of us, we will continue to speak out because we are safer and stronger together,” said UC Berkeley electrical engineering and computer science lecturer Peyrin Kao in a speech. www.dailycal.org/news/campus/... @ucaft.bsky.social

Students gather on Sproul Plaza in protest of federal information sharing

A coalition of UC Berkeley students, faculty and community members gathered on Sproul Plaza on Tuesday to protest UC Berkeley’s release of personal information of 160 student and faculty members

www.dailycal.org

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Mikhail Zinshteyn @mzinshteyn.bsky.social · 7d

Last week a federal judge told the Trump admin to return the 500 NIH grants it suspended at UCLA.

Almost all have been returned to date, DOJ letter to judge says. Here's that letter and short story:

calmatters.org/education/hi...

UCLA reclaims hundreds of research grants that Trump cut off over alleged antisemitism

A federal judge sided with UCLA in ordering the Trump administration to restore hundreds of health and science research grants. Even more funding is at stake going forward for UC campuses.

calmatters.org

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CalMatters @calmatters.org · 8d

Commentary:

A suit by UC regents would help to fill any gaps created by the Supreme Court’s unclear jurisprudence. It would also provide legal, symbolic support to researchers who have so far been fighting the university’s legal battle on their own. https://cal.news/4nrsz81

📝 Blake Emerson

California needs to take a bolder stand for universities targeted by the White House | Opinion

A federal lawsuit by the UC Regents would provide legal and symbolic support to researchers who so far have been fighting on their own.

cal.news

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Stacy Fahrenthold @sfahrenthold.bsky.social · 10d

Every public university in California is now under political attack by the Trump administration. Its time for the regents and @uofcalifornia.bsky.social and @calstate.bsky.social leadership to get real.

Fight back! Your faculty are fighting, why aren't you?

www.sfchronicle.com/california/a...

Trump administration launches probe of alleged antisemitism at CSU system

The Trump administration has launched an investigation into alleged antisemitism at the California State University system and has reached out to CSU faculty about their experiences on campus.

www.sfchronicle.com

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Veena Dubal @veenadubal.bsky.social · 11d

The @aaup.org and Council of UC Faculty Associations sent this detailed letter to UCOP President Milliken and UC General Counsel Robinson explaining why they should not release the personally identifiable info of faculty, students, and staff to OCR.

www.aaup.org/news/ucs-sho...

UCs Should Not Release Personal Student and Employee Information

In response to news that the University of California administration plans to provide the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights with personally identifiable information of numerous UC f...

www.aaup.org

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UC-AFT Bay Area Chapter @ucaftbayarea.bsky.social · 12d

“UC Berkeley disclosed the release of 160 names in a notification sent to affected individuals by campus’ legal office. Administrators said other UC campuses under investigation—UCSF, UCLA, UCD and UCSD—did not notify students that their names had been disclosed.” www.dailycal.org/news/uc/comm...

‘Command and control’: University of California institutes information blackout amid federal negotiations

Over the past two weeks, leadership at UC Berkeley and the UC Office of the President, or UCOP, has come under fire following the disclosure that roughly 160 names of

www.dailycal.org

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Mikhail Zinshteyn @mzinshteyn.bsky.social · 15d

NEW: Federal judge orders 500 National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants at UCLA restored, rebuffing Trump’s July suspensions

calmatters.org/education/20...

Federal judge orders 500 health science grants at UCLA restored, rebuffing Trump’s suspensions

The ruling follows a string of orders since June that have restored hundreds of other UC research grants from multiple agencies

calmatters.org

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UC-AFT Bay Area Chapter @ucaftbayarea.bsky.social · 15d

An open letter to Chancellor Lyons from the @ucaft.bsky.social Bay Area Chapter. Read it at ucaft.org/news/open-le...

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AAUP @aaup.org · 16d

🚨🚨🚨
NEW AAUP Report Analyzes Trump Admin Weaponization of Title VI
to Undermine Civil Rights Protections.

#Academicfreedom
#AcademicSky
#DefendHigherEd

On Title VI, Discrimination, and Academic Freedom

This report considers how Title VI has been used to create an enforcement apparatus that sidesteps long-established AAUP-recommended procedures of shared governance and offers recommendations for facu...

www.aaup.org

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Stacy Fahrenthold @sfahrenthold.bsky.social · 15d

Are you a @uofcalifornia.bsky.social Senate faculty member? Are you sick of Trump's threats to your grants, our academic programs, and existential threats to the University as a whole?

CUCFA created a petition to demand No Capitulation. Please sign/share!

cucfa.solidarity.tech/no-capitulat...

No Capitulation Petition - Council of UC Faculty Associations

cucfa.solidarity.tech

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UC-AFT Bay Area Chapter @ucaftbayarea.bsky.social · 17d

‘It’s a capitulation’: Berkeley grieves as its university bends to Trump www.politico.com/news/2025/09... via @politico.com

‘It’s a capitulation’: Berkeley grieves as its university bends to Trump

Berkeley is in upheaval after Trump turned his attention from East Coast universities to the West.

www.politico.com

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Jaweed Kaleem @jaweedkaleem.bsky.social · 19d

NEW: A federal judge said today that she’s “inclined” to order the Trump administration to restore $500 million in frozen UCLA grants, the bulk of the remaining grant suspensions at the Westwood campus: www.latimes.com/world-nation...

Federal judge is 'inclined' to order Trump to restore $500 million in UCLA research grants

A San Francisco-based U.S. district judge, Rita F. Lin, said she was "inclined" to order the Trump administration to restore $500 million in National Institutes of Health grants to UCLA that the gover...

www.latimes.com

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UC-AFT Bay Area Chapter @ucaftbayarea.bsky.social · 19d

Thousands call out UC leaders following UC Berkeley’s ‘capitulation’ to federal government www.dailycal.org/news/campus/... @dailycal.bsky.social

Thousands call out UC leaders following UC Berkeley’s ‘capitulation’ to federal government

Numerous coalitions of the academic community — at UC Berkeley, statewide and globally — have banded together to express concern toward UC’s recent compliance with President Donald Trump’s administrat...

www.dailycal.org

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