The Trump administration is discussing asking a judge to enforce any deal it reaches with the school, which the White House says has not done enough to address antisemitism.
The Trump administration is discussing asking a judge to enforce any deal it reaches with the school, which the White House says has not done enough to address antisemitism.
The Trump administration is discussing asking a judge to enforce any deal it reaches with the school, which the White House says has not done enough to address antisemitism.
The Trump administration may seek to have a federal judge enforce any deal it reaches with Columbia University in an arrangement that could ensure that the White House has a hand in the school’s dealings for years to come, according to four people with knowledge of the matter.
Administration officials are discussing the possibility of seeking a consent decree to ratify any agreement the White House reaches in its negotiations with the school, after the federal government canceled about $400 million in grants and contracts and accused Columbia of failing to stem harassment of Jewish students on campus last year.
A decree could allow President Trump to continue to exert power over one of New York City’s flagship universities, and could serve as a model for other schools seeking to negotiate with the White House.
But the university and the administration have yet to reach a deal, and putting a consent decree in place could require an extended process.
A spokeswoman for Columbia would not comment on whether the possibility of a consent decree had been raised. She said in a statement that “the university remains in active dialogue with the federal government to restore its critical research funding.”
In a consent decree, a judge ratifies an agreement between two parties — often the United States and an institution under scrutiny. The judge then has power to oversee the agreement, an arrangement that often lasts for years at a time. The administration’s pursuit of a consent decree was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.