U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher has permanently blocked two memos issued by the Trump administration that threatened schools with funding cuts for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. The Trump administration issued a “Dear Colleague” letter for universities threatening to take funding if they don’t end “illegal” DEI efforts. K-12 districts also received a memo to certify they have no DEI practices in their schools. The American Federation of Teachers, Democracy Forward, and others sued over both memos, arguing that the administration did not go through the proper procedures and violated the rights of schools. Gallagher, appointed by President Trump, stated that neither challenged agency action was promulgated in accordance with the procedural requirements of the APA, and both actions run afoul of important constitutional rights. The Trump administration argued universities were trying to circumvent the 2023 Supreme Court ruling regarding affirmative action, which the federal government says applied to not only admissions, but also scholarships and other programs.
The judge has halted Trump’s guidance that threatened the development of equal opportunity in schools. Enilsa Brown 26
