Federal judge halts Trump’s orders targeting DEI, transgender support

ANKARA

A federal judge in California has blocked several executive orders issued by President Donald Trump that sought to restrict federal funding for nine nonprofits, according to US media reports.

District Judge Jon Tigar of Oakland granted a nationwide preliminary injunction against three of Trump’s orders targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts as well as transgender support, the US-based HuffPost news site reported.

The lawsuit was filed by the nine nonprofit organizations serving LGBTQ+ communities, including the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, arguing that Trump’s directives were unconstitutional.

“While the Executive requires some degree of freedom to implement its political agenda, it is still bound by the Constitution. And even in the context of federal subsidies, it cannot weaponize Congressionally appropriated funds to single out protected communities for disfavored treatment or suppress ideas that it does not like or has deemed dangerous,” Tigar wrote in the order.

The ruling means the federal government cannot cut funding to grantees who continue DEI initiatives or provide services for transgender individuals.

The injunction will stay in place while the legal case moves forward, though the Trump administration’s legal team is expected to appeal.

On his first day back in office, Jan. 20, Trump signed an executive order declaring the government would only acknowledge “male and female” as legal sexes and prohibiting the promotion of what he labeled “gender ideology.”

He followed up with two additional orders instructing federal agencies to eliminate funding for all DEI programs.

In response, many nonprofits saw vital federal contracts, worth hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars, abruptly canceled.