Trump admin ordered to restore $500 million in UCLA research grants

A San Francisco federal judge ruled Monday that the Trump administration must restore $500 million in research funding to University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), a significant legal victory for the University of California (UC) system amid ongoing disputes over grant suspensions.

About the ruling: Judge Rita Lin’s preliminary injunction found that federal agencies violated proper procedures when they suspended grants in July using form letters that lacked specific justifications, breaching the Administrative Procedure Act. The court order affects approximately 500 National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants that support studies on cancer, Parkinson’s disease and other areas. It also requires restoration of separate grants from the Defense and Transportation departments.

Why this matters: The funding restoration addresses urgent concerns at UCLA, where researchers had scaled back laboratory work and weighed potential staff reductions over the past two months. Beyond the immediate relief, Lin also rejected federal arguments that individual researchers lack standing to challenge grant terminations, calling such a position excessive and affirming that courts must remain accessible for constitutional challenges.

Background: The dispute centers on administration allegations that UCLA’s admission practices harm white and Asian American applicants, despite California’s 1996 prohibition on race-based college admissions and enrollment data showing Asian Americans achieve 76.6% admission rates versus 68% for Latino, 65% for white and 60% for Black students. Campus demographics also show Asian Americans comprise 36.3% of UC undergraduates while representing 19% of qualified California high school graduates. A separate legal challenge filed last week by UC faculty unions directly targets the administration’s $1.2 billion penalty and broader settlement demands.

Monday’s decision builds on Lin’s multiple rulings since June protecting UC research funding, with federal appeals courts supporting her legal reasoning. Government attorneys now face a Sept. 29 deadline to demonstrate compliance.