A U.S. district judge agreed to fast-track the oral arguments at Harvard's request during a brief convening in a packed Boston courtroom.

More than $2 billion in federal funds committed to Harvard University are likely to stay frozen by the Trump administration well into the summer after the sides met for the first time in a Boston courtroom in their high-stakes sparring match over political ideology in American higher education.

On Monday, lawyers for Harvard University and the Trump administration agreed to proceed straight to summary judgement.