Multiple federal judges issued rulings on Thursday temporarily halting the Trump administration’s DEI funding battle from schools involved in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) activities. The rulings came after lawsuits were filed by civil rights groups and the nation’s largest teachers’ unions.
The cases center around a February “Dear Colleague” letter from the Department of Education, which instructed federally funded schools to submit documentation proving compliance with a new ban on DEI programs. Schools were given until April to meet certification deadlines or face potential loss of federal funding.
Judge Landya McCafferty, an Obama appointee to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire, granted a preliminary injunction requested by the National Education Association (NEA). McCafferty criticized the Department’s guidance as “vague and expansive,” noting that the letter “does not even define what a DEI program is.” She emphasized the importance of safeguarding academic freedom and warned that executive action threatening those principles must be carefully scrutinized.
In Maryland, U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher, a Trump appointee, issued a similar ruling in a separate case brought by the American Federation of Teachers, the nation’s second-largest teachers’ union. Gallagher found that the administration’s February guidance likely violated the Administrative Procedure Act, stating, “The government did not” implement the rules properly under federal law.
Additionally, U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, another Trump appointee based in the District of Columbia, blocked enforcement of the Department’s certification deadline for states and schools. Friedrich indicated the department’s actions likely violated constitutional requirements. Schools and states had been ordered to certify compliance by Thursday.
Each ruling temporarily blocks portions of the Trump administration’s DEI crackdown as litigation continues. Final outcomes will depend on further court proceedings, but the temporary injunctions mark an early roadblock to the administration’s efforts to reform federal education funding tied to controversial DEI programs.
