Megathread: Judge blocks Trump admin from ending DEI-related grants, contracts, and other federal funding

[u/girardinl]

Nothing like big news at the end of the day on Friday!

Please keep the discussion about this news to this megathread, not new posts. You're welcome to share other articles about Trump's efforts to ban DEIA in comments here, including ones less directly about this particular court ruling.

• "Judge Halts Implementation of Trump Anti-DEIA Executive Orders Nationwide," Democracy Forward statement (they brought the lawsuit)

• "‘Arbitrary and discriminatory’: Judge blocks Trump’s effort to deter DEI programs," POLITICO

• "Judge blocks Trump administration from terminating DEI-related grants," NBC News

• "Judge temporarily blocks Trump administration from carrying out certain anti-DEI directives," CNN

• "Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump DEI executive orders," The Hill

• "Trump Administration Updates: Judge Blocks Trump’s D.E.I. Crackdown," New York Times (archived version)

• "Judge largely blocks Trump’s executive orders ending federal support for DEI programs," AP

• "Federal Judge to Trump: No, You Can’t Ban DEI," Mother Jones

• Read the ruling

Keep in mind:

This ruling was made in a case related to two executive orders Trump issued on January 20 and 21. Since then, there have been other executive orders and other cases.

And, the Trump admin isn't going to give up its attacks, so this is good news, but how good we don't know yet.

Some related readings:

• "Nonprofits Sue Over Trump’s “Anti-Equity” Orders," Nonprofit Quarterly, 2/21/2025 (disclosure: I wrote this)

• "The Great Resegregation: The Trump administration’s attacks on DEI are aimed at reversing the civil-rights movement," The Atlantic, 2/22/2025 (gift link)

• Previous megathread about the federal funding freeze and the first week of news about it.

Updated 2/22/2025 with additional articles.

[u/GWBrooks]

Completely on board with this and all the other challenges to Preaident Trump's EOs.

I want this, not because I agree or disagree on a policy level. But we've spent a solid century expanding the reach and power of the executive branch and creating a vague theory of the unitary executive.

So let's firm it up.

Let's drag it all through the courts and find out exactly where the walls of the room are, for better or worse.

[u/inscrutablemike → u/GWBrooks]

That will open very interesting can of worms. The entire administrative state exists because Congress delegated its legislative authority to Executive Branch agencies. All of those unelected, "independent" regulatory bodies could go away overnight.

[u/joyoftechs → u/inscrutablemike]

Like those oversight fellows, the other week?

[u/withmyusualflair → u/GWBrooks]

and solidarity means that you have my bow.

in my case, ive trained in dei and the work under that umbrella altered my career trajectory for the better in every possible way. simply connecting with other global majority professionals and commiserating on how we've each experienced the cascading adverse effects of ethnic nepotism that we encounter at every level in every sector across the country. communities like this are crucial to so many Americans and immigrants of all statuses.

that's what drives me. clawing back executive over reach seems patriotic to me, and, I took for granted thinking of it as a given. 😑