Judge extends restraining order against Trump's block on international students at Harvard

By 
 June 17, 2025

Federal judges are working overtime to block President Donald Trump's agenda, and it doesn't appear that they're giving in anytime soon.

That was evidenced this week, according to Fox News, after a Boston-based federal judge extended a restraining order on Trump's "attempt to block international students from entering the U.S. to study at Harvard."

The move marks another win for Harvard University as it continues to battle the Trump administration on multiple issues.

Harvard has yet to play ball with the Trump administration over protester disputes, even with the threat and promise of pulling various types of federal funding.

What's happening?

At the urging of Harvard's lawyers, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs decided to extend a restraining order that "blocked the Trump administration from revoking its credentials under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, or SEVP, and which temporarily blocked a proclamation Trump signed earlier this month that barred foreign nationals from traveling to the U.S. if they planned to study or research at Harvard."

Ian Gershengorn, a lawyer for Harvard, claimed that the Trump administration's order was a First Amendment violation.

"The proclamation is a plain violation of the First Amendment," Gershengorn said.

As a result, the judge agreed to extend the restraining order until June 23, adding that she would need more time to make a ruling on whether or not she's willing to grant injunctive relief.

On Monday, Judge Burroughs told the court, "We'll kick out an opinion as soon as we can."

Lawyers for the prestigious university are seeking a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration's orders, which may or may not be granted.

"Lasting damage"

Harvard's lawyers argued that Trump's orders would create chaos for the university, and "lasting damage" for no apparent reason.

Fox News noted:

Harvard argued that the Trump administration's actions would violate the Administrative Procedure Act, the First Amendment, and the Fifth Amendment – injecting "continued chaos and lasting damage on Harvard for no compelling reason," they said in a filing.

Harvard is also fighting to keep its SEVP accreditation, which experts say is crucial for the school's enrollment of foreign students.

Only time will tell how the courts ultimately rule on the issue.

" A free people [claim] their rights, as derived from the laws of nature."
Thomas Jefferson