Federal Judge Blocks Education Department From Releasing Ivy League Foreign Funding Sources List
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 — A federal judge on Thursday blocked the U.S. Department of Education from releasing a list of foreign funding sources for Ivy League and other universities, according to the New York Post. The order by Judge Chutkan will remain in place for 28 days while she considers a longer injunction. The lawsuit was brought by the Association of American Universities (AAU), which represents 69 leading U.S. research universities, including the University of Pennsylvania and Yale University.
The association argued that donors gave based on assurances their privacy would be guarded, and that publishing the names would chill lawful giving that supports scholarships, research and teaching. Education Department spokeswoman Ellen Keast said the ruling would halt the administration from revealing schools that received large overseas checks, and said the department would fight in court for transparency. In April 2025 the department opened a probe into the University of California, Berkeley over funding from China, and foreign-money disclosure has been a focus of its oversight of campuses.
Under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act, colleges must still report foreign gifts and contracts worth $250,000 or more to the department while the case proceeds. The court is expected to take up the request for a preliminary injunction within the 28-day window set by the order.
Source: New York Post, Oct. 2, reporting the court order and statements from both sides.
Photo: Columbia University — InSapphoWeTrust / CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Openverse)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Columbia University — InSapphoWeTrust / CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Openverse)
