A federal judge on 7 May ruled that the Trump administration’s cancellation of hundreds of humanities grants under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was unconstitutional and amounted to “blatant viewpoint discrimination”.
The ruling concerned more than 1,400 grants worth more than $100 million that were terminated in April 2025, affecting scholars, writers, research institutions and humanities organisations across the United States.
U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon said the administration violated constitutional protections for free speech and equal treatment under the law.
“The Government engaged in blatant viewpoint discrimination,” McMahon wrote in the ruling.
The grants had been awarded through the National Endowment for the Humanities before being cancelled as part of a broader cost-cutting initiative led by billionaire Elon Musk under the Trump administration’s DOGE programme.
According to the judge, the terminations disproportionately targeted projects connected to minority communities, religion, immigration and gender issues.
“What mattered to DOGE was not whether a grant lacked scholarly merit,” McMahon wrote, adding that the administration focused instead on whether projects involved “minority groups”.
The ruling said the programme swept in grants related to Black, Asian, Latino and Indigenous communities, as well as religion, sexuality and immigration status.
McMahon also criticised the reported use of ChatGPT in generating justifications for some grant terminations.
“The government cannot escape liability for DOGE’s work by scapegoating ChatGPT,” the judge wrote.
The court further ruled that DOGE lacked the legal authority to terminate the grants.
The decision comes amid broader criticism from rights groups and academic institutions over President Donald Trump’s policies targeting universities, arts organisations, museums and diversity initiatives.
Trump has argued that many cultural and educational institutions promote liberal or “anti-American” values and has repeatedly threatened to cut federal funding tied to diversity programmes, climate initiatives and pro-Palestinian activism.
Nagasaki marked the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing on Sunday, with Mayor Shiro Suzuki condemning the use and possession of nuclear weapon...
A deal on a new route for vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is "very close," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said, while warning that t...
Typhoon Dolphin is expected to make landfall on China’s east coast overnight on Sunday, bringing torrential rain and powerful winds as authorities p...
An agreement between Iran and the U.S. to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is expected "soon," a U.S. official has said. The deal would result in the resumption of commercial shipping through the sea passage and the lifting of an American naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 8th of August, covering the latest developments.
U.S. President Donald Trump said negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz are progressing and suggested an agreement with Iran could be reached “soon”.
U.S. President Donald Trump may have to accept concessions he previously opposed if he wants to secure a deal with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to analysts, as negotiators move closer to a temporary agreement.
Typhoon Dolphin lashed Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture on Saturday, injuring six people, disrupting flights and leaving more than 50,000 buildings without power, as China shut ports and suspended transport services ahead of the storm’s expected arrival on its east coast.
Typhoon Dolphin is expected to make landfall on China’s east coast overnight on Sunday, bringing torrential rain and powerful winds as authorities prepare for flooding and landslides across large parts of eastern China.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 9th of August, covering the latest developments.
Nagasaki marked the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing on Sunday, with Mayor Shiro Suzuki condemning the use and possession of nuclear weapons and warning against growing reliance on nuclear deterrence.
The death toll from a school shooting in Thailand has risen to nine after police said a 12-year-old girl being treated for serious injuries had died in hospital.
More than 20,000 people have fled a fast-moving wildfire in western Canada, which has nearly doubled in size overnight. The province of British Columbia declared a state of emergency over the blaze on Saturday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment