A New York district court judge halted the mass cancellation of National Endowment for the Humanities grants on Friday night. The judge ruled that the grant cancellations violated the recipients’ First Amendment rights. This decision applies to members of the Authors Guild who were affected.
Judge Colleen McMahon, from the Southern District of New York, issued a preliminary injunction. She stopped the government from canceling the grants until a full trial can take place. The judge also ordered that no grant funds be reassigned or used elsewhere in the meantime.
In her ruling, McMahon stated the government ended the grants based on the recipients’ views. She said this aimed to remove those views from public discussion. The judge pointed to executive orders about fighting “Radical Indoctrination” and “Radical DEI Programs” as evidence. She also mentioned the government’s interest in promoting “Biological Truth.”
The government targeted one grant for a professor’s book on the Ku Klux Klan’s revival in the 1970s and 1980s. A government spreadsheet titled “Copy of NEH Active Grants” linked the project to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. Officials also canceled several other history projects on that list partly because of their DEI connections.
The judge acknowledged that the government has the right to set NEH priorities. However, she emphasized that this discretion cannot violate First Amendment rights. McMahon also noted that the government cannot simply rewrite or edit history to fit its goals.
Additionally, the judge pointed out that some recipients lost funding simply because their grants started during the Biden administration. The Authors Guild filed a class action lawsuit in May against the NEH and the Department of Government Efficiency. The suit challenges the cancellation of grants that Congress had already approved.
The lawsuit states that the Department’s actions “brought the core work of the humanities councils to a screeching halt” this spring. Mary Rasenberger, CEO of the Authors Guild, called the ruling a hopeful sign. She said courts remain a vital defense against government overreach and protect First Amendment rights when threatened.
Other humanities and research groups have also filed lawsuits to stop funding cuts and agency closures. However, McMahon denied a temporary injunction request from the American Council of Learned Societies and dismissed some of their claims.
The judge clarified that her injunction only maintains the current situation. It allows time for the court to decide if the plaintiffs deserve further relief.
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