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A federal judge has blocked Trump administration from enforcing anti-DEI and anti-transgender executive orders in grant funding requirements.
On Monday (June 9), U.S District Judge Jon Tigar ruled that the federal government can't require recipients of grant funding to eliminate programs that promote DEI or acknowledge the existence of transgender people, per NBC News.
The funding provisions "reflect an effort to censor constitutionally protected speech and services promoting DEI and recognizing the existence of transgender individuals," Tigar wrote.
The judge added the executive branch "cannot weaponize Congressionally appropriated funds to single out protected communities for disfavored treatment or suppress ideas that it does not like or has deemed dangerous."
Monday's ruling comes after several health centers, LGBTQ+ services groups, and the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Historical Society, said they were unable to complete their missions following Trump's executive orders. The plaintiffs, who all receive federal funding, argued that the grant requirements were unconstitutional.
The San Francisco AIDS Foundation, one of the plaintiffs, said it previously received a five-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to expand and enhance sexual health services, specifically in communities disproportionately affected by sexual health disparities.
In April, the CDC told the foundation that it must "immediately terminate all programs, personnel, activities, or contracts" that promote DEI or gender ideology.
The plaintiffs argued that Congress, and not the president, has the power to direct how federal funds are used.
Government lawyers will likely appeal Tigar's ruling to block the administration from enforcing its executive orders on DEI.
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