A federal district court judge ruled that the Trump administration unlawfully attempted to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The judge found that the Department of Education violated the law by trying to link grant funding to compliance with an executive order on DEI. She emphasized that the issue was not the merits of DEI policies but the government's failure to adhere to legal procedures. The decision highlighted a significant First Amendment violation by stating the government could not inhibit speech based on ideological beliefs, deeming such actions blatantly unconstitutional.
"This court takes no view as to whether the policies at issue in this case are good or bad, prudent or foolish, fair or unfair. But, at this stage too, it must closely scrutinize whether the government went about creating and implementing them in the manner the law requires. Here, it did not."
"The government cannot proclaim that it 'will no longer tolerate' speech it dislikes because of its 'motivating ideology'—that is a 'blatant' and 'egregious' violation of the First Amendment."
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