by Sharelle B. McNair
August 16, 2025
U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher–a Trump appointee–found the Department of Ed violated the law after threatening to cut federal funding.
A federal judge ruled against actions from President Donald Trump’s Department of Education (DOE) targeting the end of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs at the schools and universities across the nation, labeling the moves as unlawful, Associated Press reports.
Maryland’s U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher– a Trump appointee — found the Department violated the law after threatening to cut federal funding from educational institutions that went against Trump’s executive order to dump DEI initiatives. The ruling comes after guidance has been on pause since April 2025 following the decision by three federal judges to block a number of parameters surrounding the DOE’s anti-DEI measures.
In addition, Gallagher’s Aug. 14 decision was handed down after the American Federation of Teachers and the American Sociological Association requested a motion for summary judgment, challenging the administration’s actions in a lawsuit.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the February 2025 lawsuit centers around two memos from the Education Department demanding schools and universities to end all “race-based decision-making” or risk facing penalties including a loss of federal funding.
Gallagher rejected the government’s argument of the memos, that states and education groups labeled as illegal government censorship, being a simple reminder that alleged school discrimination is illegal thanks to the Supreme Court’s controversial decision to overturn affirmative action, framing discrimination against white and Asian American students. “It initiated a sea change in how the Department of Education regulates educational practices and classroom conduct, causing millions of educators to reasonably fear that their lawful, and even beneficial, speech might cause them or their schools to be punished,” Gallagher wrote.
Educators and advocates like Los Angeles school board member Tanya Ortiz Franklin celebrated the victory after the California Department of Education was one of a few states to go against Trump’s order to certify the 1,000 school districts that ended all DEI programs.
Under one of Trump’s numerous Democratic nemesis like Gov. Gavin Newsom, California defended diversity efforts in schools, contending “there is nothing in state or federal law” outlawing the practice. “Hooray! We love court rulings that recognize the value of our kids and the vision of democracy, which includes diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we look forward to implementing all that we can to make sure kids know where they come from, that they’re valued here, and that we are preparing them for the world,” Franklin said.
Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, the legal advocacy firm representing plaintiffs of the lawsuit, said the ruling is an important accomplishment. “Threatening teachers and sowing chaos in schools throughout America is part of the administration’s war on education, and today the people won,” Perryman said.
Of course, the Education Department, under the leadership of Linda McMahon, claimed to be disappointed in a statement following the ruling. However, the agency feels it won’t stop their anti-diversity moves as “judicial action enjoining or setting aside this guidance has not stopped our ability to enforce Title VI protections for students at an unprecedented level.”
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