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The Trump administration underwent a legal blow on Friday when a judge of the New York district court published a preliminary injunction blocking its decision to reduce the national endowment for the humanities subsidies (NEH) of the members of the authors for reasons of the first amendment.
Judge Colleen McMahon issued the injunction which should remain in place until the case is heard in its entirety.
Nowsweek Contact the NEH and President Trump, via the White House press office, to comment on Saturday outside the regular office hours.
The context
With Republicans take advantage of thin majorities in both Senate And a house in addition to their control over the White House, the courts have become one of the main obstacles to Trump’s administration policy.
In recent months, the courts have Braved punitive measures Presented by President Trump against legal firms previously involved in business against him, blocked an attempt to undress Thousands of Haitian migrants legal protection and The sanctions canceled intended for employees of the International Criminal Court.
What to know
McMahon judge preliminary injunction Prevents the funds previously allocated to the members of the Guild of the authors, then deleted by the Trump administration, from being reassigned until a trial is held on the bottom of the case itself.
The money was awarded by the NEH, a federal agency that finances research and education through the humanities, before some were withdrawn by the Trump administration.
Andrew Harnik / Getty
McMahon judged that a large part of this was politically motivated, with dismissal notices given to the expected beneficiaries referring to the executive orders of Trump Truck ” [diversity, equity and inclusion] Programs “and” radical indoctrination “.
She declared that a subsidy to an academic working on a book on the history of the Ku Klux Klan was reported by the administration as being connected to Dei, while other planned beneficiaries had been withdrawn because they were issued under the Biden administration.
A collective appeal was brought by the Guild of the authors against the NEH and the Ministry of Government Effectiveness (DOGE), formerly led by Elon Musk.
What people say
In his judgment, McMahon said: “The defendants put an end to subsidies according to the point of view perceived by the beneficiaries, in order to stimulate these points of view on the market of ideas. This is more obvious by the quotation of the dismissal notices to predictable decrees to fight against the radical indoctrination ” and ‘Radical’ ‘… the Dei programs, and to advance the” biological truth “.
She continued: “Far from this court to deny the right of the administration to concentrate the priorities of the NEH on American history and exceptionalism as the year of our semi-cefinational approaches.
“Such a refocusing is generally a question of discretion of the agency. But the agency’s discretionary power does not include discretion to violate the first amendment. Not the government either the right to modify history.”
What happens next
A trial to find out if the Trump administration has the power to go beyond NEH’s subsidies of the members of the authors guild, as it did, should take place in due time.
