Supreme Court Allows Trump to Cancel Diversity-Funded Education Grants

In a closely divided 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court on Friday paved the way for the Trump administration to cancel millions of dollars in federal education grants. The court's ruling, which came in an unsigned opinion, granted a request from the Justice Department to pause a lower court order that had required the Department of Education to reinstate the grants.

The grants, totaling up to $65 million, were awarded through the Teacher Quality Partnership program and the Supporting Effective Educator Development program. These programs aimed to support teacher recruitment and training initiatives across the country.

A Legal Battle Over DEI Practices

The legal battle stems from the Trump administration's assertion that some of the funded programs incorporated diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices, which they claimed were discriminatory. Acting Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos directed an internal review of the department's grant awards to ensure they aligned with this policy objective.

As a result of the review, the Education Department decided to terminate 104 grants that it deemed inconsistent with its policy objectives. Five grants were allowed to remain in place.

Challenging the Administration's Decision

A group of eight states—California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New York, and Wisconsin—challenged the administration's decision in a federal district court. They argued that the grant terminations violated a federal law governing the agency rulemaking process.

U.S. District Judge Myong Joun sided with the states, issuing a temporary restraining order that required the government to reinstate the grants to recipients in the eight states. The order also temporarily blocked the government from reinstating any terminations or canceling other awards for organizations in those states.

The Supreme Court's Intervention

The Trump administration appealed the district court's order to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit, which declined to pause the order. Subsequently, the Justice Department sought emergency relief from the Supreme Court.

Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris argued in her filing that the district court's order raised a fundamental question about the authority of federal district courts to force the government to pay out taxpayer dollars for programs the executive branch deems inconsistent with national interests.

A Divided Court

The Supreme Court, in its 5-4 decision, agreed with the Justice Department's request, allowing the cancellation of the education grants for now. The dissenting justices argued that the lower court's order should be upheld, emphasizing the importance of protecting the funding for crucial educational programs.

This ruling is likely to have significant implications for federal grant programs and the balance of power between the executive and judicial branches.