Half a century ago Harvard failed to invite the young Donald Trump to partake of its services, therefore Harvard has to go.

Harvard University sued the Trump administration on Friday, less than 24 hours after the Department of Homeland Security said it would block international students from attending the nation’s oldest university and one of its most prestigious.

Later Friday morning, at the university’s request, a federal judge in Boston moved swiftly to block implementation of the federal government’s order.

The judge, Allison D. Burroughs issued a temporary restraining order against the federal edict, agreeing that Harvard had shown that its implementation would cause “immediate and irreparable injury” to the university.

Well duh. That’s why Trump is doing it.

The lawsuit, which accused the Trump administration of a “campaign of retribution” against the university, followed an announcement on Thursday that Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification had been revoked, halting the university’s ability to enroll international students.

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A White House spokeswoman, Abigail Jackson, responded to the lawsuit with a statement.

“If only Harvard cared this much about ending the scourge of anti-American, antisemitic, pro-terrorist agitators on their campus they wouldn’t be in this situation to begin with. Harvard should spend their time and resources on creating a safe campus environment instead of filing frivolous lawsuits,” the statement said.

It’s not really frivolous for a university to resist government meddling with its admissions.

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant homeland security secretary, issued a statement saying that the lawsuit “seeks to kneecap the president’s constitutionally vested powers,” adding that it is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students.

Is it? Who says? Under what definition of rights?

The wider academic community was shocked at Thursday’s move by the Trump Administration. In a statement, Sally Kornbluth, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, called it a “grave moment.”

“I write to you in profound disbelief,” she wrote in a community email late Thursday. “The action the federal government took today to bar Harvard from having international students is devastating for American excellence, openness, and ingenuity.”

If Harvard can’t have international students how come Trump gets to have Elon Musk?