Harvard University appeared in federal court Monday in a pivotal case in its battle with the Trump administration, as the storied institution argued the government illegally cut $2.6 billion in

Harvard is suing the Trump administration over a $2.6 billion research funding cut, calling it retaliation for defying federal antisemitism directives—raising concerns about academic independence.

In a courtroom in Boston on Monday, a lawyer for Harvard called the Trump administration’s case against the school “cooked up.”