A federal judge in Maryland ruled the Trump administration’s attempts to ban DEI as unlawful
A federal judge has overturned two Trump administration actions that sought to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in schools and universities nationwide.
U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher in Maryland ruled that the Education Department broke the law by threatening to withdraw federal funding from educational institutions that continued with DEI initiatives. The guidance has been suspended since April, when three federal judges blocked various parts of the Education Department’s anti-DEI measures.
Thursday’s ruling followed a motion for summary judgment from the American Federation of Teachers and the American Sociological Association, who challenged the government’s actions in a lawsuit filed in February.
The case revolves around two Education Department memos instructing schools and universities to cease all “race-based decision-making” or risk penalties up to a total loss of federal funding.
This is part of an effort to end practices that the Trump administration views as discriminatory against white and Asian American students.
The new ruling orders the department to discard the guidance because it violates procedural requirements, although Gallagher stated that she did not express an opinion on whether the policies were “good or bad, prudent or foolish, fair or unfair.”
Gallagher, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, dismissed the government’s argument that the memos merely served to remind schools that discrimination is illegal.
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“It initiated a sea change in how the Department of Education regulates educational practices and classroom conduct, causing millions of educators to reasonably fear that their lawful, and even beneficial, speech might cause them or their schools to be punished,” Gallagher wrote.
The administration is entitled to express its viewpoints and to promulgate policies aligned with those viewpoints, Gallagher added.But it must do so within the procedural bounds Congress has outlined. And it may not do so at the expense of constitutional rights.
The Education Department issued a statement on Thursday, said it was disappointed in the ruling, but noted that “judicial action enjoining or setting aside this guidance has not stopped our ability to enforce Title VI protections for students at an unprecedented level.”
The Department remains committed to its responsibility to uphold students anti-discrimination protections under the law.
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