Donald Trump is accomplishing more in his first year than most presidents do in their whole term. But not everyone is happy about that.
And now a federal judge slammed the brakes on Trump’s agenda with a consequential ruling.
Trump’s Education Reform Efforts Stalled by Maryland Judge
The Trump administration’s push to eliminate discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in federally funded schools has been halted by a Maryland federal judge, despite the administration’s commitment to ensuring fair treatment for all students, including white and Asian Americans.
Judge Blocks Anti-DEI Guidance for Procedural Missteps
U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher, a Trump appointee, struck down two Education Department memos from February and April that aimed to curb DEI programs deemed discriminatory. The February memo declared that “treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme Court precedent,” citing the 2023 decision banning race-based admissions.
The April memo required state education agencies to certify compliance, threatening funding cuts for non-compliant schools. Gallagher ruled that the department bypassed procedural requirements under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), stating, “This Court takes no view as to whether the policies at issue in this case are good or bad, prudent or foolish, fair or unfair. But, at this stage too, it must closely scrutinize whether the government went about creating and implementing them in the manner the law requires. Here, it did not.”
Gallagher further noted, “The administration is entitled to express its viewpoints and to promulgate policies aligned with those viewpoints. But it must do so within the procedural bounds Congress has outlined. And it may not do so at the expense of constitutional rights.”
While the ruling, prompted by a lawsuit from the American Federation of Teachers and the American Sociological Association, invalidates the memos, it does not challenge the administration’s intent to protect students from racial bias, a goal Trump’s team remains steadfast in pursuing.
Education Department Defends Anti-Discrimination Mission
The Education Department expressed disappointment but reaffirmed its commitment to enforcing Title VI protections, which prohibit racial discrimination in federally funded programs.
“While the Department is disappointed in the judge’s ruling, judicial action enjoining or setting aside this guidance has not stopped our ability to enforce Title VI protections for students at an unprecedented level,” a spokesman said. “The Department remains committed to its responsibility to uphold students’ anti-discrimination protections under the law.”
This resilience reflects the administration’s focus on ensuring schools prioritize merit and fairness, addressing concerns that DEI initiatives have unfairly disadvantaged white and Asian students from diverse economic backgrounds, as highlighted in the original guidance: “American educational institutions have discriminated against students on the basis of race, including white and Asian students, many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds and low-income families.”
The Trump administration’s actions align with its agenda to curb what it views as ideological overreach in education, building on the 2023 Supreme Court ruling to restore equal treatment across academic settings, from admissions to scholarships and campus life.
Lawsuit Reflects Tensions Over Educational Equity
The lawsuit, initiated in February by the American Federation of Teachers and supported by groups like Democracy Forward, argued that the memos imposed “unclear and highly subjective” limits, risking educators’ free speech and federal funding.
The guidance, temporarily blocked in April by three federal judges, sparked debate over its interpretation of the Supreme Court’s ruling, with critics claiming it stifled legitimate diversity efforts.
However, the Trump administration’s position, as articulated by acting assistant secretary Craig Trainor, emphasized that “educational institutions have toxically indoctrinated students with the false premise that the United States is built upon ‘systemic and structural racism’ and advanced discriminatory policies and practices.”
