NEW YORK — On Thursday, a federal judge ordered Columbia University and Barnard College to temporarily halt compliance with a request from a Republican-led House committee for student disciplinary records. This decision comes amid a legal challenge initiated by Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia, who was arrested and is facing potential deportation due to his involvement in demonstrations against Israel. Along with other anonymous students, Khalil filed a lawsuit earlier in the month to prevent the House Committee on Education and the Workforce from accessing records related to students participating in protests.
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian scheduled a hearing for the case on the coming Tuesday. The lawsuit, lodged in Manhattan’s federal court, takes aim at the universities, the committee, and its chairman, Michigan Republican Rep. Tim Walberg. Khalil and the other plaintiffs are seeking a permanent injunction to stop Congress from compelling the institutions to release these records. They also want an order that prevents the universities from complying with the committee’s demands.
Last month, the committee issued a letter warning Columbia and Barnard that failure to hand over the records could result in losing billions in federal funding. The judge’s recent ruling coincides with a deadline set by the Trump administration, which imposed significant conditions on Columbia University to maintain its federal funding. These changes include a $400 million reduction of funds over accusations that the institution did not sufficiently protect its community from antisemitism following a series of pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
Among the required changes are the restructuring of Columbia’s Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies Department into an academic receivership for no less than five years, the adoption of a revised definition of antisemitism, and a complete overhaul of its admissions policies.
In response, a collective of history professors at Columbia penned a letter to university leadership, calling on the administration to reject what they described as “authoritarian” intrusions into college governance. Released on social media, the professors cautioned that succumbing to this level of control would jeopardize genuine historical research, teaching, and scholarly community.
Reminding the administration of historical challenges regarding academic freedom, the professors highlighted incidents from the past, such as faculty dismissals during World War I and the 1936 expulsion of a student after anti-Nazi protests. However, they argued that the current situation presents an unprecedented challenge, differing fundamentally from previous struggles.
In response to inquiries about the professors’ letter, Columbia officials pointed to a statement made on Wednesday by Katrina Armstrong, the university’s president. Armstrong asserted that the institution will maintain “constructive dialogue with our federal regulators,” addressing concerns over antisemitism, harassment, and discrimination, while steadfastly preserving the principles of academic freedom and free speech.
“We remain open to scrutiny of our practices and are committed to answering legitimate questions regarding our progress,” Armstrong emphasized. “However, we will never compromise the fundamental values of academic autonomy, freedom of thought, or our duty to abide by the law.”