Court Allows Trump To Enforce DEI Ban
The 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals said the President’s ban on DEI programs is likely
to be constitutional, overruling a decision last month by a judge in Maryland
President Donald Trump’s ban on diversity, equity and inclusivity (DEI) programs at the federal level will be allowed to continue, thanks to a new appeals court decision.
On Friday, the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals said the President’s ban on DEI programs is likely to be constitutional, overruling a decision last month by a judge in Maryland.
Two of the three judges on the panel provided separate commentary in which they said that, despite the decision, they disagreed with the substance of the Trump order.
“Despite the vitriol now being heaped on DEI, people of good faith who work to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion deserve praise, not opprobrium,” Circuit Judge Albert Diaz wrote.
Circuit Judge Allison Rushing, a Trump appointee, responded by saying her colleagues’ policy views were irrelevant to whether Trump’s directives should stand.
“A judge’s opinion that DEI programs ‘deserve praise, not opprobrium’ should play absolutely no part in deciding this case,” she wrote.
The decision, as part of an ongoing lawsuit brought by the city of Baltimore and other groups, will stand until the outcome of the Trump administration’s appeal is decided, which could take some months.
Judge Adam Abelson in Baltimore had blocked Trump and a number of federal agencies from implementing the orders nationwide until the outcome of the lawsuit was decided.
Along with directing federal agencies to eliminate diversity programs, Trump also barred federal contractors, including some of the largest companies in the US, from having them either.
President Trump also told the Justice Department and other agencies to identify businesses, schools and nonprofits that may be unlawfully discriminating through DEI policies.
The Baltimore suit claims Trump lacks the power to issue such orders, which they claim target constitutionally protected free speech.
