Federal Judge Blocks Two Trump Admin Attacks On DEI In Schools And Colleges
A federal judge has struck down two Trump administration directives that sought to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in schools and universities.
Judge Stephanie Gallagher of the US District Court in Maryland ruled that the Department of Education violated the law when it threatened to cut federal funding from educational institutions that would maintain its DEI initiatives, The Guardian reports.
The department’s guidance had been on hold since April, when three federal judges temporarily blocked parts of the department’s anti-DEI measures. Gallagher’s ruling followed a motion for summary judgment filed by the American Federation of Teachers and the American Sociological Association in a February lawsuit.
The education department’s anti-DEI threats
The case centered on two Department of Education memos that urged schools and universities to end all “race-based decision-making” or risk losing federal funding. The directives were part of a broader Trump administration campaign to eliminate practices it argued discriminated against white and Asian American students.
The memos cited tutoring programs for struggling students of particular races, lessons on concepts such as white privilege, and efforts to recruit more racially diverse teachers as examples of initiatives that should be banned.
The New York Times also reported that the administration warned colleges against creating race-specific scholarships or prizes and against requiring students to participate in “racially charged” orientation programs.
The lawsuit and ruling
The American Federation of Teachers and the American Sociological Association, represented by the advocacy group Democracy Forward, challenged the administration’s actions in court.
Gallagher, a Trump appointee, rejected the government’s argument that the memos simply reiterated existing anti-discrimination laws. She instructed the department to end the guidance as it goes against procedural requirements, but Gallagher wrote that she took no view on whether the policies were “good or bad, prudent or foolish, fair or unfair.”
Democracy Forward said it was a significant victory over the administration’s attack on DEI.
Federal judge blocks National Institutes of Health’s DEI cuts
Gallagher’s ruling comes shortly after another federal court blocked Trump administration efforts to slash DEI-related funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
In July, the administration sought emergency approval to end millions of dollars in NIH grants tied to DEI initiatives. However, Judge William G. Young of the US District Court in Massachusetts found portions of the cuts “void and illegal,” accusing the administration of racial bias and prejudice against LGBTQ people. The blocked cuts had targeted research into gender identity and equity in health care.
Image: The Jopwell Collection
