Federal judge blocks Trump administration's directives against DEI programs in education

Politics

Federal judge blocks Trump administration's directives against DEI programs in education

3 months ago

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LATIMES

CBSNEWS

NPR

INDIATIMES

Federal judge blocks Trump administration's directives against DEI programs in education

Credited from: CBSNEWS

A federal judge has deemed Trump administration guidance against DEI programs unlawful.
The ruling halts threats to strip funding from schools continuing DEI initiatives.
The case was brought forth by the American Federation of Teachers and the American Sociological Association.

A federal judge in Maryland has struck down two directives from the Trump administration aimed at eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs at schools and universities. U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher found that the Education Department acted illegally when it threatened to cut federal funding for institutions that uphold DEI initiatives. This ruling follows a similar hold placed on the directives by three federal judges back in April, indicating ongoing judicial pushback against the government's anti-DEI measures, according to latimes, cbsnews, npr, and indiatimes.

This significant ruling stemmed from a lawsuit filed by the American Federation of Teachers and the American Sociological Association, which challenged the government's actions based on two Education Department memos that effectively mandated the removal of "race-based decision-making" from all areas of educational policy. Failure to comply would result in severe financial penalties, potentially crippling institutions that support DEI initiatives, according to latimes and cbsnews.

npr and indiatimes.

The controversy began when one memo, issued on February 14, asserted that any consideration of race in admission processes and other student-related matters would be deemed a violation of federal civil rights law. The subsequent communications escalated government scrutiny of DEI practices, compelling state education agencies to confirm they were not implementing what the administration deemed "illegal DEI practices," with risks of severe sanctions for noncompliance, according to latimes, cbsnews, and npr.

latimes and indiatimes.