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Judge Halts Trump’s Anti-DEI Executive Orders Targeting Federal Contractors

3 23
yesterday

U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to rid the federal government and corporations of programs that promote inclusive hiring practices hit a roadblock Friday evening when a federal judge in Maryland granted a preliminary injunction blocking portions of Trump’s executive orders, saying they would “likely” be found to violate the First Amendment.

The ruling pertained to two executive orders the president issued in the first days of his second term in the White House, which directed federal agencies to end all “equity-related” contracts and required federal contractors to certify that they don’t promote “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) — frameworks used by companies, schools, and other organizations to ensure historically marginalized groups have opportunities and see their histories included in school curricula.

The latter provision, argued the coalition that sued over the orders in Maryland, suppresses the First Amendment right to freedom of speech.

The term DEI has been invoked repeatedly by right-wing politicians who have blamed pro-diversity hiring practices for the deadly plane crash near Washington, D.C. late last month and the wildfires that devastated Los Angeles last month, and Trump’s billionaire backer and “special government employee” Elon Musk has

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