It was not immediately clear how much funding could be returned to UCLA. The school’s chancellor said last week that the Trump administration has pulled $584 million in federal grants from various federal agencies. The judge’s ruling applies specifically to NSF grants.

Lawyers for the UC professors believe their filing is the first legal challenge to the NSF's decision last week to suspend UCLA’s grants.

A federal judge ruled against the Trump administration late Tuesday night, ordering the government to partially restore science funding to UCLA in a major class action lawsuit filed by researchers from the University of California school system.