From The Hill: The Trump administration pulling out of a diversity, equity and inclusion lawsuit against schools this week marks a rare win for a movement that has largely seen the president devastate DEI efforts in the first year of his second term.
While the retreat is welcome, advocates say schools have already caved to some of the goals in the anti-DEI memos they challenged in court.
As diversity offices shutter and programs close down in K-12 and higher education across the country, the future looks dim for those who say these initiatives were meant to uplift marginalized communities.
President Donald Trump has signed executive orders targeting DEI, and recalled federal funding for multiple schools. The Education Department also sent out letters to nationwide institutions telling them to eliminate DEI or lose funding.
But a federal judge has ruled that the memos were issued and applied in a legally improper manner, both in terms of freedom of expression and in how government rules must be implemented. The judge said the anti-DEI school memos went against the First Amendment, which protects free speech, and also failed to follow required federal procedures for creating and enforcing policies.
Shaun Harper, a professor of education, business, and public policy at the University of Southern California, said that even with the ruling, it may be too late for some DEI programs and resources, as many have already been halted due to fear and uncertainty.
“I’ll say dozens, or perhaps even hundreds, of institutions have already dismantled their DEI programs, fired their chief diversity officers, renamed culture centers and programs and other resources. So, the damage has already been done. So, in that way, the Trump administration absolutely succeeds, even without a legal victory on this, because institutions got spooked a year ago and did not wait for legal opinions or legal judgments, rather, to be issued,” Harper said.
Read more at The Hill
The Dennis Michael Lynch Podcast archive is available below, with the most recent on top. Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the show by downloading The DML News App or go to Apple Podcasts.
