President Trump has enemies around every corner. But this group isn’t wasting any time attacking him.
And Donald Trump is rocked with a new lawsuit from these radical Leftists.
Legal Battle Over Trump’s DEI Executive Orders Heats Up
A coalition of civil rights organizations and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) advocates are taking legal action against a series of executive orders issued by President Donald Trump, which aim to reinstate merit-based principles across American institutions.
Earlier this month, a lawsuit was filed in federal court by a group that includes higher education officials, restaurant workers, and the City of Baltimore. Represented by Democracy Forward lawyers, the plaintiffs described Trump’s actions as a “crusade to erase” DEI and accessibility from the United States.
On Wednesday, attorneys representing both the plaintiffs and the Justice Department appeared in Maryland federal court to discuss the complaint. That same day, a second federal lawsuit was lodged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The latter was filed by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Lambda Legal on behalf of several nonprofit advocacy organizations, further challenging Trump’s DEI-related orders.
In the Maryland case, the plaintiffs, represented by Democracy Forward, are requesting injunctive relief, urging U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson to temporarily halt the implementation of Trump’s Executive Order, “Ending Radical Government DEI Programs.” They argue that their challenge is not about the president’s ability to set policy priorities but rather about the constitutional limits of executive power. They contend that terminating legally mandated programs violates the Constitution. However, Abelson has yet to take action to pause the orders.
During the hearing, the judge pressed Justice Department lawyer Pardis Gheibi on why the court should not delay the termination of DEI contracts and grants until the government’s policy becomes clearer. Gheibi countered that it would be a “remarkable proposition” for the judiciary to intervene in the president’s directive to the U.S. Attorney General regarding DEI policies.
Representing the plaintiffs, attorney Aleshadye Getachew argued that Trump’s executive orders have had an immediate and chilling effect on her clients’ First Amendment rights. “Speech was chilled almost immediately after these orders were issued,” she stated.
Abelson appeared to acknowledge this concern, remarking, “What they’re saying is, we are being precluded from engaging in all kinds of speech … inclusivity, or the history of our country … being chilled from engaging in speech that we would otherwise be engaged in.”
While Abelson has yet to rule, he assured both parties that he would consider the motion carefully and move as quickly as possible to address their arguments.
Meanwhile, the 101-page lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C., alleges that Trump’s executive orders violate the First and Fifth Amendments and amount to discrimination against Black and transgender individuals. The plaintiffs specifically challenge orders such as “Ending Radical and Wasteful DEI Programs and Preferencing,” “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” and “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.”
“Without evidence or support, the Trump Administration is using the power and resources of the federal government to launch a full-scale assault on DEIA – not only within federal agencies, but throughout the private sector in contravention of the Constitution and other federal laws,” the complaint states. “People of color, women, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities served by Plaintiffs’ equity programs will be directly harmed by the Trump Administration’s discriminatory actions, as Plaintiffs face censorship of speech and termination of funding and activities that support and benefit vulnerable communities.”
The lawsuit also references the death of George Floyd in May 2020, which sparked nationwide protests against systemic racism. Plaintiffs argue that Trump’s response to the demonstrations and his opposition to DEI initiatives indicate a longstanding effort to suppress racial justice movements.
“As evidenced during his first term in office by his response to the mass demonstrations against systemic anti-Black racism after the police k*lling of George Floyd, President Trump has sought to quell any ensuing efforts to advance racial justice, including through DEIA initiatives,” the lawsuit states. “That singular focus has continued to his current Administration: the recent Executive Orders also suggest that DEIA programs are inconsistent with merit, and do so through their text, the aggressive messaging around them, and the way the Administration has implemented them.”
The plaintiffs further argue that Trump highlighting merit “relies on longstanding stereotypes that Black people and other underrepresented groups are inherently unqualified and lack merit despite their accomplishments.”
“Rather than acknowledging the need for DEIA programs to remove unfair barriers to opportunity for Black people and other excluded groups, the Executive Orders rely on these false stereotypes to support the baseless assertion that those programs provide racial preferences to unqualified Black people and other people of color. The Executive Orders simultaneously codify preferences for white people by suggesting that efforts to address racial inequity – for example, by ‘promoting diversity’ – are, by definition, reverse discrimination.”
White House spokesman Harrison Fields dismissed both lawsuits as “nothing more than an extension of the left’s resistance.” In a statement to the New York Times, he said the administration was “ready to face them in court.”
“Radical leftists can either choose to swim against the tide and reject the overwhelming will of the people, or they can get on board and work with President Trump to advance his wildly popular agenda,” Fields stated.
With legal battles unfolding in multiple courts, the future of Trump’s DEI executive orders remains uncertain. As both sides dig in for a protracted fight, the outcome could have significant implications for DEI programs across the nation.
The Conservative Column will keep you updated on any news regarding lawsuits targeting Donald Trump.
