A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction barring the enforcement of specific provisions of President Trump’s executive orders targeting illegal discrimination and DEI programs—Executive Order 14151, Ending Radical Government DEI Programs and Preferencing, and E.O. 14173, Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity. However, the injunction does not change the rescission of E.O. 11246 or the order directing OFCCP to cease much of its enforcement activity.
Earlier this month, the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE) sued the Trump Administration in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, asking the court to declare these executive orders unconstitutional.
The judge’s preliminary decision in that case prevents the Administration from: (1) requiring contractors and grant recipients to certify that they do not operate any programs promoting DEI that violate applicable federal anti-discrimination laws; (2) initiating E.O. 14173 enforcement actions under the False Claims Act; and (3) cancelling equity-related grants or contracts.
Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC), our affiliated nonprofit membership association, can read more here.