A broad coalition of University of California faculty and labor unions has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging that threatened federal funding cuts are “coercive.” They claim that compliance with federal demands would undermine the civil rights of students, teachers, and staff.

A coalition of academic and labor organizations has filed an unprecedented lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleging an unlawful attempt to curb free speech at the University of California. The lawsuit targets the Trump administration, raising important questions about the role of open discourse in public education.