WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court ruled Friday that President Trump’s executive orders eliminating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives among government agencies and contractors can go into effect.
A three-judge panel on the Richmond, Va.-based Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously found that Maryland federal judge Adam B. Abelson erred in granting a preliminary injunction blocking the order.
Chief Judge Albert Diaz, Judge Pamela A. Harris and Judge Allison Jones Rushing all concurred that Trump “may determine his policy priorities and instruct his agents to make funding decisions based on them.”
“President Trump has decided that equity isn’t a priority in his administration and so has directed his subordinates to terminate funding that supports equity-related projects to the maximum extent allowed by law,” wrote Diaz, appointed to the bench by President Barack Obama.
“Whether that’s sound policy or not isn’t our call. We ask only whether the policy is unconstitutionally vague for funding recipients.”
Abelson had initially granted a nationwide injunction and later a preliminary injunction, which is now vacated.
Baltimore’s mayor and city council, the American Association of University Professors and the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education sued the Trump administration, claiming the order violated provisions of the Constitution’s First and Fifth Amendments.
