Judge's ruling deals Trump administration major DEI setback

One of the major platform issues of the Trump administration was to end wokeness in this country.

So, Trump signed an executive order to end all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness (DEI) programs in the government, but a judge is now blocking that order. 

Trump Signs Anti-DEI Order

On January 20, 2025, Trump signed an executive order titled "Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing."

The order claimed that Joe Biden "forced illegal and immoral discrimination programs" throughout the government. It called for a 60-day review period, during which recommendations were to be made regarding program terminations.

Most of the new Trump officials did not take that long, immediately ending programs within their respective departments.

Hegseth Vows to End DEI in DoD

One of the main reasons Donald Trump wanted Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense was Hegseth's personal stance on DEI.

Hegseth made his position clear while a host at Fox News as well as many of the conferences where he spoke, and he addressed the issue right after being confirmed as the Secretary of Defense.

Hegseth posted his stance, short and sweet, on X after the executive order was announced, writing, "The President’s guidance (lawful orders) is clear: No more DEI at Dept. of Defense."

Judge Slams the Brakes on Eliminating DEI

Democrats and activists are attacking Trump's DEI order by claiming that ending DEI programs is a civil rights violation.

The case went before Judge Adam Abelson, a Biden appointee, so we all know how the decision fell. On Friday, Judge Abelson issued a preliminary injunction to block these programs from being terminated, with the court once again clearly having more power than the president in this country.

Judiciary Department attorney Pardis Gheibi argued, "The government doesn't have the obligation to subsidize plaintiffs' exercise of speech," but the argument fell on deaf ears, at least for now.

Judge Abelson's ruling stated, "The White House and attorney general have made clear, through their ongoing implementation of various aspects of the J21 order, that viewpoints and speech considered to be in favor of or supportive of DEI or DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility) are viewpoints the government wishes to punish and, apparently, attempt to extinguish.

"The supreme court has made clear time and time again, the government cannot rely on the 'threat of invoking legal sanctions and other means of coercion' to suppress disfavored speech.'"

This a loss for Trump, but not a final one. The matter will be fully assessed with a final ruling issued soon. If Trump does lose, we can expect this case also to be appealed before the Supreme Court.