Trump administration drops appeal of preliminary injunction stopping $1.2b fine to UCLA
On February 11, 2026, the Trump administration dropped its appeal of the November 2025 preliminary injunction stopping its threatened $1.2 billion “fine” of UCLA. This is a major victory for UC, for higher education, and for US democracy.
Back on November 14, 2025, US District Court Judge Rita Lin issued a preliminary injunction stopping the Trump administration from issuing a $1.2 billion “fine” to UCLA. In granting the preliminary injunction, Judge Lin wrote: “The undisputed record demonstrates that Defendants [the Trump administration] have engaged in coercive and retaliatory conduct in violation of the First Amendment and Tenth Amendment. It also shows that they have flouted the requirements of Title VI and IX and cancelled funding in an arbitrary and capricious manner while ignoring required procedural safeguards.”
This lawsuit was brought by the AAUP, all ten UC Faculty Associations, the Council of UC Faculty Associations (CUCFA), and all of the labor unions representing UC employees. The Trump administration had said that it would appeal the preliminary injunction, but it has given up.
