Overview
- A preliminary injunction requires immediate return of removed library and curricular materials and halts further removals at five plaintiff schools in Virginia, Kentucky, Italy, and Japan.
- Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles concluded the actions likely reflected viewpoint discrimination and rejected the claim that school library collections are protected government speech, citing Board of Education v. Pico.
- The order covers items taken since January 19, 2025 under Trump executive orders targeting so‑called gender ideology and divisive equity concepts, with defendants listing 596 affected titles.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and DoDEA Director Beth Schiavino-Narvaez were directed to comply at once with restoration at Crossroads Elementary, Barsanti Elementary, Aviano Middle‑High, Stollars Elementary, and Edgren Middle‑High.
- DoDEA runs 161 schools serving about 67,000 students worldwide, and the ruling signals broader implications for policies that led to quarantined books, canceled cultural observances, and scrubbed content in courses such as AP Psychology and health.