Judge blocks two Trump efforts to eliminate DEI in schools and universities | Trump administration

Federal judge defeated two on Thursday Trump administration Actions aimed at eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs in schools and universities in the United States.

In her ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Stephanie Gallagher found that the education department violated the law when threatening to cut federal funding from educational institutions that continue the DEI initiative.

The guidance has been on hold since April, when three federal judges blocked various parts of the education department’s opposition.

Thursday’s ruling followed a summary judgment motion from the American Federation of Teachers and the American Sociological Association, which challenged the government’s actions in a lawsuit in February.

The case focused on two Department of Education memorandums, ordering schools and universities to end all “race-based decisions” or face fines until the total loss of federal funds. It is part of a campaign to end the Trump administration’s discrimination against white and Asian American students.

The new ruling ordered the department to repeal the guidance because it did not follow procedural requirements, although Gallagher wrote that her view on the policy being “good or bad, prudent or stupid, fair, fair or unfair.”

Gallagher, appointed by Donald Trump, rejected the administration’s argument that the memorandums were merely reminding schools that discrimination is illegal.

“It began the situation where the Ministry of Education regulates educational practices and classroom behavior, leading to millions of educators’ reasonable concerns that their legal or even beneficial remarks could lead to penalties for them or their schools,” Gallagher wrote.

Democratic Forward is a legal advocacy company representing the plaintiffs, saying it is an important victory over the government’s attack on DEI.

“Threatening teachers and sowing chaos in schools throughout the United States is part of the government’s education war, and now the people have won the victory,” said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of the group.

The education department did not immediately comment on Thursday.

The conflict began with a February 14 memorandum that announced that any consideration of race in terms of admissions, financial aid, recruitment or other aspects of academic life would be considered a violation of federal civil rights laws.

The memorandum significantly expands the government’s interpretation of the Supreme Court’s ruling in 2023, prohibiting universities from considering race in admissions rulings. The government argues that the ruling applies not only to admissions, but to all education, prohibiting any form of “race-based preferences.”

“Educational institutions have created indoctrination students with false premises established by `systemic and structural racism’ and advanced discriminatory policies and practices,” wrote Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for the department’s civil rights department.

Further memorandums in April asked state educational institutions to prove that they did not use “illegal DEI practices.” It said violators risk losing federal funds and prosecuting under the False Claims Act.

Overall, the guide constitutes a comprehensive remark of the government’s approach to civil rights in education. It aims to develop policies to address long-standing racial disparities, calling these practices their own forms of discrimination.

The memorandum has attracted opposition from state and education organizations, calling it an illegal government censorship.

The American Federation of Teachers said in the lawsuit that the government imposed “unclear and highly subjective” restrictions on schools across the country. It said teachers and professors must “choose in cold constitutionally protected speech and associations, or risk losing federal funds and being prosecuted.”