Trump’s Anti-DEI Orders Can Be Enforced as Appeals Court Lifts Block While Suits Play Out; Trump Can Enforce Ban on DEI Programs for Now, Court Says: Appeals Panel Blocks Trial Court Ruling That Went Against the Administration

Trump’s anti-DEI orders can be enforced as appeals court lifts block while suits play out:

An appeals court on Friday lifted a block on executive orders seeking to end government support for diversity, equity and inclusion programs, handing the Trump administration a win after a string of setbacks defending President Donald Trump’s agenda from dozens of lawsuits.

The decision from a three-judge panel allows the orders to be enforced as a lawsuit challenging them plays out. The appeals court judges halted a nationwide injunction from U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson in Baltimore.

Two of the judges on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wrote that Trump’s anti-DEI push could eventually raise concerns about First Amendment rights but said the judge’s sweeping block went too far.

“My vote should not be understood as agreement with the orders’ attack on efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion,” Judge Pamela Harris wrote. Two of the panel’s members were appointed by President Barack Obama, while the third was appointed by Trump.

Abelson had found the orders likely violated free-speech rights and are unconstitutionally vague since they don’t have a specific definition of DEI.

Trump signed an order his first day in office directing federal agencies to terminate all “equity-related” grants or contracts. He signed a follow-up order requiring federal contractors to certify that they don’t promote DEI. —>READ MORE HERE

Trump Can Enforce Ban on DEI Programs for Now, Court Says:

Appeals panel blocks trial court ruling that went against the administration

A federal appeals court allowed the Trump administration to implement bans on diversity, equity and inclusion programs at federal agencies and businesses that contract with the federal government.

In a late Friday decision, a three-judge panel of the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., lifted a lower court injunction that halted the enforcement of two Trump executive orders targeting DEI programs.

The ruling, which came in a lawsuit by the city of Baltimore and three advocacy groups, wasn’t a final judgment on whether the orders are lawful, but allows the Trump administration to enforce them while litigation unfolds. The appeals court said it would set an expedited briefing schedule to hear arguments, but a decision could still take months.

Trump signed the two executive orders at issue in the litigation soon after retaking the White House.

One of the orders directed federal agencies to eliminate all DEI programs throughout the government. The other eliminated mandates for federal contractors to maintain affirmative-action programs, and required recipients of federal grants and contracts to certify that they don’t operate unlawful DEI programs.

The three judges on the panel—two of whom were appointed by President Barack Obama—all wrote separate concurring opinions. While all three agreed to lift the Feb. 21 injunction imposed by U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson, they signaled potential disagreement on the ultimate question of whether Trump’s executive orders are constitutional.

The two Obama appointees on the panel, Judges Albert Diaz and Pamela Harris, said they hadn’t reached a final conclusion on whether the orders are lawful, adding that it might depend on how they are implemented. —>READ MORE HERE (or HERE)

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