On November 14, 2025, Judge Rita Lin of the Northern District of California issued a preliminary injunction preventing the Trump administration from suspending or refusing to grant federal funds to the University of California—or threatening to do so—in violation of the First Amendment, Tenth Amendment, or Title VI and Title IX.
The court found that the plaintiffs had “submitted overwhelming evidence” that the Trump administration was “engaged in a concerted campaign to purge ‘woke,’ ‘left,’ and ‘socialist’ viewpoints from our country’s leading universities,” and that it was “undisputed that this precise playbook is now being executed at the University of California.” The court held that the Trump administration had likely engaged in unlawful coercion and retaliation in violation of the First Amendment, violated the unconstitutional conditions doctrine and Tenth Amendment, violated Title VI and Title IX’s procedural requirements, and acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act.
The plaintiffs in the case include the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Local 3299; American Federation of Teachers; California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNA); Committee of Interns and Residents, Service Employees International Union (CIR); Council of UC Faculty Associations and its member faculty associations at all UC campuses; International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW); Teamsters Local 2010; UAW Local 4811; University Council–American Federation of Teachers; and University Professional and Technical Employees–Communication Workers of America. Besides Altshuler Berzon LLP, the plaintiffs in the case are represented by Democracy Forward Foundation; Leonard Carder LLP; Schwartz, Steinsapir, Dohrmann & Sommers LLP; Beeson, Tayer & Bodine; and in house counsel at AAUP, CNA/NNU, and CIR.
The court’s November 14 decision and order can be found here and here, respectively.