President Donald Trump suffered a major legal defeat on April 24 as federal judges in Maryland, New Hampshire and Washington D.C. halted his administration’s attempt to cut off billions in federal funding to K-12 public schools over diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
The rulings came after a wave of lawsuits from teachers’ unions and civil rights groups, who argued the policy was unconstitutional and “unconstitutionally vague.”
Judges agreed, pointing out that the administration failed to define what counts as a DEI initiative, making enforcement arbitrary and legally shaky.
The blocked policy would have required schools to certify that they were not engaging in what the administration called “discriminatory” DEI practices to keep federal support—especially Title I funds, which serve low-income students.
The Education Department had issued a warning in February, threatening to withhold funding unless schools dismantled DEI programs.
Critics said the policy could have chilled classroom discussions about race and history and disrupted school operations already facing resource shortages.
The injunction prevents the Education Department from enforcing the policy against the plaintiffs and their affiliates, though the rulings are not yet nationwide.
While the administration is expected to appeal, the decisions mark a significant blow to President Donald Trump’s broader campaign to dismantle DEI efforts across federal agencies and public institutions.
This is just the latest in a string of courtroom losses for Trump since returning to office in January 2025. Judges have also blocked his efforts to:
Cut off federal funding to sanctuary cities, require proof of citizenship for voter registration, fire thousands of federal employees en masse, freeze federal grants and foreign aid, transfer transgender women inmates to male prisons and arrest immigrants in places of worship.
He also flopped on his attempt to shut down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, deport individuals in violation of court settlements and dissolve the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Two judges who ruled against the DEI policy were appointed by Trump himself, adding to the sting of the defeat.
The administration’s attempt to sidestep Congress—where education funding is ultimately controlled—has drawn criticism from lawmakers and legal experts who say the executive branch overreached its authority.
The legal battle is far from over, but the court orders stand for now.
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