Columbia University's Gaza encampment; President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
To ensure those changes last, the Trump administration is reportedly moving to usher in a consent decree, which could place Columbia in contempt of court if a judge determines that the school is not in compliance with the administration's directives.
Such violations could lead to further monetary penalties for Columbia. While the Trump administration has said Columbia is on the "right track" to restore its $400 million in federal funding, no formal announcement has been made indicating it has been.
The consent decree must be voluntary, so Columbia must be a willing partner in the arrangement. Fox News Digital reached out to Columbia for comment, and to inquire whether the school plans to voluntarily enter into the consent decree, but did not receive a response in time for publication. Columbia can fight the move in court if it so chooses.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT QUESTIONED FORMER COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT OVER CAMPUS ANTISEMITISM
Pro-Palestinian supporters rally outside Columbia University on April 23, 2024, in New York City. (Jeenah Moon/Getty Images)
Consent decrees are not an unusual tool for an administration to use to ensure its policy priorities are being implemented. Under former President Joe Biden, the government entered into consent decree arrangements with police departments to ensure they were implementing the president's desired criminal justice reforms. Biden also pursued these legal arrangements with various universities, including Brown and Rutgers, over antisemitism concerns after the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack in Israeli, according to the Wall Street Journal.
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According to the sources who leaked the information about the consent decree arrangement, the Trump administration is pursuing the matter because it has doubts about Columbia's desire to follow the president's federal directives on antisemitism in good faith, despite its public actions to do so.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-admin-wants-put-columbia-under-federal-oversight-ensure-compliance-antisemitism-policies