Yet another federal judge has blocked a portion of one of President Donald Trump’s executive orders, arguing that his directive to terminate government contracts with all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs is a “coercive threat.”
Judge Matthew F. Kennelly of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois signed a memorandum opinion and order on Thursday in favor of a Chicago-based nonprofit that promotes “diversity, equity, and inclusion within the skilled trades industry.”
The organization, Chicago Women in Trades (CWIT), receives roughly 40 percent of its annual budget from the federal government, according to the document.
In a 46-page civil lawsuit filed in February, a month after Trump signed EO 1415, “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” and EO 14173, “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.”
As a result of Trump’s orders, CWIT received notices from the Department of Labor (DOL) Women’s Bureau and the Illinois DOL about grants they were funding, stating that all recipients of federal financial assistance are directed to cease all activities related to DEI “effective immediately,” and that the department was “reviewing all active federal awards and will take appropriate action, including terminating the awards, consistent with the Executive Orders.”
On January 22, CWIT also received a similar email from DOL Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Michelle Paczynski with the subject line “Immediate Implementation of Executive Orders.”
According to the complaint, Trump’s orders “have had a significant chilling effect” on CWIT’s right to free speech and the “diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts it promotes in the skilled trades industry.”
Citing “First Amendment issues” and the “vagueness” of Trump’s orders, Kennelly wrote that the Chicago organization contends that they have been “forced to refrain from exercising its protected speech rights for fear that its grant will be terminated.”
“This is particularly so given that one of its subgrants now has been terminated,” the judge added.
In his opinion, EO 1415 “is likely a coercive threat” that warranted granting in part CWIT’s motion for a temporary restraining order, and a hearing for a longer-term injunction is scheduled for April 10.
The decision allows DOL grant recipients to continue their DEI programs in the meantime, but allows the Trump administration to bar most “equity-related grants,” according to Reuters Legal.
Kennelly was originally appointed by then-President Bill Clinton in 1999.
This latest news in the lawfare drama surrounding Trump’s executive orders comes as other federal judges rule against him, with long-time Democrat Party activist U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang of Maryland deciding on Tuesday that cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) were likely unconstitutional.
Also on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes of Washington, D.C. blocked the Trump Pentagon from implementing its policy that would bar transgender troops from serving in the military without a waiver.
On Monday, D.C. Chief Judge James Boasberg ruled that Tren de Aragua migrants must be allowed to appeal their deportations ordered under Trump’s invocation of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, Breitbart News reported.
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