MICHAEL CASEY and LEAH WILLINGHAM.

Harvard University is holding it commencement Thursday. The nation’s oldest and wealthiest school at the forefront of legal efforts to defend higher education in America from what increasingly seem like existential threats by President Donald Trump. Other schools also face the loss of federal funding and their ability to enroll international students if they don’t agree to the Trump administration’s changing demands. But Harvard is taking the lead on defying the White House in federal court. Trump frames his pressure as a defense against antisemitism. Sustained by a $53 billion endowment, Harvard is testing whether it can be a bulwark protecting the freedom to teach and learn nationwide.