Leadership Now Files Amicus Brief Defending Universities as Critical to U.S. Competitiveness

June 9, 2025 — Leadership Now Project has filed an amicus brief in President and Fellows of Harvard College v. United States Department of Health & Human Services, et al. before the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The brief urges the court to block the federal government’s freeze on Harvard’s research funding and to reject actions that infringe on the university’s First Amendment rights.

The brief argues that the administration’s actions are both unconstitutional and economically harmful, undermining the institutional independence that has made American universities global leaders in innovation and talent development.

Key Argument:

1. Arbitrary Contract Cancellations Undermine U.S. Competitiveness

The administration’s decision to cancel federal research contracts with Harvard threatens to weaken the next generation of scientific talent and stifle innovation across sectors. This course of action jeopardizes America’s long-term economic strength and global leadership.

“By cutting federal funding essential to sustaining a robust university research environment at Harvard and elsewhere, the Administration is depleting the next generation of scientific talent, charting a course toward American economic weakness and stagnation, and leaving the American public far worse off.”

2. Attacks on Academic Freedom Violate the First Amendment

The brief asserts that the government’s attempt to impose ideological conditions on federally funded research violates the Constitution and corrupts the integrity of academic institutions.

“Title VI [of the Civil Rights Act of 1964] established in statute a core principle of American governance enshrined in the First Amendment, which prohibits the federal government from conditioning its benefits on content-based requirements that encroach on private universities’ academic freedom of expression.”

“The Administration’s actions, in addition to violating Harvard’s rights, fundamentally threaten the academic freedom that has enabled universities to help make the U.S. a dominant technological and scientific force for decades. The American economy, the businesses that rely upon the system of federally funded research, and the American people as a whole will suffer harm as a result.”

Oral arguments in the case are scheduled for July 21, 2025.