Overview

• A New Hampshire federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration's policy targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in schools, citing First Amendment concerns.
• The directive, outlined in a February memo, threatened to withhold federal funding from schools and universities unless they eliminated race-conscious DEI practices.
• The policy was criticized as unconstitutionally vague, leaving educators uncertain about what constitutes a DEI program and risking academic freedom.
• Similar rulings in Maryland and Washington, D.C., have also temporarily blocked enforcement of the policy, which dramatically expands a 2023 Supreme Court decision on affirmative action.
• The administration plans to appeal these rulings, as broader legal challenges to the anti-DEI measures continue in federal courts.