A lawsuit filed by Columbia University over Trump administration funding cuts has been dismissed. The lawsuit was brought by two labor unions, the American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers, on behalf of the university. Unfortunately for the school, U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil determined that the groups didn’t have the legal standing necessary to bring the case. “Conspicuously, Columbia, whose grants and contracts were terminated and whose funding is the subject of the relief Plaintiffs seek, is not a plaintiff,” the judge wrote in her decision. This means the case would only be considered if Columbia itself brought the lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration. “Our democracy cannot very well function if individual judges issue extraordinary relief to every plaintiff who clamors to object to executive action,” she added. Not to be deterred, the unions are appealing the decision. “This is a disappointing ruling, but by no means the end of the fight. The Trump administration’s threats and coercion at Columbia University are part of an assault on education that extends far beyond Columbia. Ultimately, lifesaving research, basic civil liberties, and higher education in communities across the country are all on the line. Faculty, students, and the American public will not stand for it. We will continue to fight back,” reads a group statement. Columbia University has lost over $400 million in government funding as a result of the president’s action. Another win for Trump. Columbia, will you get your act together? Slam Dunk. The United States government is under no obligation to fund an institution that wants to destroy the United States.
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