Appeals Court Lifts Injunction on Trump's DEI Executive Orders
An appeals court has lifted a nationwide injunction, allowing President Donald Trump’s executive orders to end federal support for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs to take effect.
On Friday, a panel of three judges from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of enforcing President Donald Trump’s executive orders that seek to terminate federal support for DEI programs. This decision reverses a previous nationwide injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson in Baltimore, which had temporarily blocked the orders.
The court’s decision came amid a lawsuit filed by the City of Baltimore and several organizations, including the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education and the American Association of University Professors. These groups argued that Trump’s orders were an overreach of presidential power and potentially violated First Amendment rights.
Despite acknowledging that the orders “could raise concerns” about free speech, two of the judges felt that Abelson’s injunction was overly broad. The executive orders, which have been a cornerstone of Trump’s policy to dismantle DEI initiatives across the federal government, mandate the termination of all “equity-related” grants or contracts and require federal contractors to certify they do not promote DEI.
The Trump administration defended the orders in court, asserting that they only target DEI programs that violate federal civil rights laws. However, critics, including attorney Aleshadye Getachew, argue that these measures represent an “overcorrection” in the approach to DEI.
The lifting of the injunction marks a significant victory for the Trump administration, although it faces ongoing legal challenges. A similar lawsuit was filed in D.C. U.S. District Court, challenging several of Trump’s executive orders related to DEI, including those aimed at “Ending Radical and Wasteful DEI Programs and Preferencing” and “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.”
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Lambda Legal have joined the fray, filing a complaint on behalf of nonprofit advocacy groups. Amidst these legal battles, White House spokesman Harrison Fields emphasized the administration’s stance, suggesting that opposition groups are swimming “against the tide” of the president’s “wildly popular agenda.”
As the legal proceedings continue, the impact of Trump’s executive orders on federal DEI programs remains a contentious and closely watched issue.