A federal judge in Maryland on Thursday permanently blocked two of President Trump’s memos aimed at ending Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs at universities.
Earlier this year, the Department of Education issued an ultimatum to federally funded schools: eliminate DEI programs within 14 days, or risk losing all federal funding.
The directive, detailed in a letter from the Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR), was in response to “pervasive and repugnant race-based preferences” that have turned America’s schools into indoctrination camps.
The letter explicitly warns schools, universities, and state education agencies that their reliance on DEI initiatives, which serve as racial discrimination, violates federal civil rights law.
Under the order, educational institutions receiving federal aid are required to immediately:
- Dismantle DEI offices and programming that promote race-based policies.
- End race-based hiring and admissions practices that disadvantage certain groups.
- Cease funding or collaborating with third-party organizations that push DEI initiatives.
- Halt racially segregated graduations, scholarships, and other programs under the guise of inclusion.
Failure to comply, the Department warns, will result in swift consequences, including the potential revocation of federal funding.
US District Judge Stephanie Gallagher, an Obama appointee, ruled that the Department of Education violated the law.
As reported by the Associated Press:
A federal judge on Thursday struck down two Trump administration actions aimed at eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the nation’s schools and universities.
In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher in Maryland stated that the Education Department violated the law when it threatened to cut federal funding from educational institutions that continued with DEI initiatives.
The judge’s ruling followed a motion for summary judgment from the American Federation of Teachers and the American Sociological Association, which challenged the government’s actions in a February lawsuit.
The case centers on two Education Department memos ordering schools and universities to end all “race-based decision-making” or face penalties up to a total loss of federal funding. It’s part of a campaign to end practices the Trump administration frames as discrimination against white and Asian American students.
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