Despite ongoing legal tensions with the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump, Harvard University proceeded with its annual graduation ceremony on Thursday, even as a federal courtroom in Boston prepared to deliberate on sweeping punitive actions taken by the federal government against the prestigious Ivy League institution.
According to international news agency AFP, the legal dispute stems from a series of targeted measures imposed on Harvard by the Trump administration. These include efforts to strip the university of its ability to enrol foreign students, threats to revoke its federal funding and contracts, and moves to challenge its long-standing tax-exempt status.
President Trump, known for his combative stance toward elite academic institutions, had accused Harvard of undermining national interests. “Harvard is treating our country with great disrespect, and all they’re doing is getting in deeper and deeper,” he declared during a media briefing on Wednesday.
In response, Harvard has taken its grievances to court, asserting that the federal government’s actions constitute an attack on academic freedom and the autonomy of educational institutions. University officials maintain that such measures are politically motivated and lack legal merit.
Harvard President Alan Garber, in an interview with NPR earlier in the week, acknowledged the complex challenges confronting the institution, including concerns around campus inclusivity and allegations of anti-Semitism. Nonetheless, he criticised the federal government’s response as disproportionate and misaligned with the actual issues at hand.
“What is perplexing,” Garber remarked, “is that the measures they have taken to address these issues don’t even hit the same people that they believe are causing the problems.”
The graduation ceremony itself carried undertones of defiance. Guest speaker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a former NBA star and renowned human rights advocate, used his Class Day address to commend Garber’s leadership and resilience in the face of what he described as “illegal and immoral pressures.” Drawing parallels to iconic moments in civil rights history, Abdul-Jabbar likened Harvard’s stance to Rosa Parks’ historic refusal to surrender her seat during segregation-era America.
While the ceremonies remained largely celebratory, subtle signs of protest emerged among the graduating students. Madeleine Riskin-Kutz, a Franco-American graduate of classics and linguistics, observed that participating in the traditional rituals of commencement had, for many, become a quiet form of resistance.
The legal proceedings are being overseen by Federal Judge Allison Burroughs, who had previously halted a policy revision that would have barred Harvard from admitting international students. Foreign students currently account for more than 25% of Harvard’s total enrolment.
Outside Harvard Yard on the eve of the ceremony, small pockets of demonstrators gathered in support of the university. Among them was retired immigration judge Patricia Sheppard, who wore her judicial robe and held a placard reading “For the Rule of Law.” She questioned the rationale behind the administration’s punitive agenda, saying it appeared less about law and more about political posturing.
Undeterred by the political storm swirling around it, the university pressed on with its historic commencement rituals. The Harvard band marched proudly through the streets of Cambridge in their traditional crimson attire, while graduates in full academic regalia assembled for the momentous occasion, signaling both celebration and resolve in the face of adversity.
