A federal judge temporarily blocked the Department of Labor from implementing certain aspects of President Donald Trump‘s executive purchases to , reduce diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts for national companies and give consumers.
The attempt came in response to a lawsuit filed by the Chicago Women in Trades, a volunteer group founded in 1981 that helps make women for work in qualified design trades with some contracts with the Department of Labor. Judge Matthew Kennelly of the U. S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois stopped the Labor Department from requiring federal contractors or offer consumers to check that they do not run programs in violation of Trump’s anti-DE I professional purchases, according to the Associated Press.
Kennelly wrote that the group appeared likely to succeed in arguing that parts of the executive orders are too unconstitutionally vague and infringe on First Amendment free speech protections.
The judge noted his order was extended to all Labor Department contractors and grant recipients because the vagueness of the president’s executive orders and the threat of financial penalties would likely pressure organizations to curb DEI programs in potential violation of free speech rights. His order additionally blocked the Labor Department from freezing or ending any funding with Chicago Women in Trades and prevented the Trump administration from pursuing any enforcement under the False Claims Act against the group.
The decision comes nearly two weeks after an appeals court lifted a broader injunction against Trump’s anti-DE I executive orders in a separate lawsuit in Baltimore. Kennelly’s ruling here, however, is more limited in scope as he declined to extend the temporary restraining order to other federal agencies.
LIST: THE EXECUTIVE ORDERS, ACTIONS, AND PROCLAMATIONS TRUMP HAS MADE AS PRESIDENT
On his first day in office, Trump signed an order directing federal agencies to terminate all “equity-related” grants or contracts.
The president’s order has caused numerous companies to end DEI practices, fearing harsh financial penalties under the False Claims Act if the government finds them in violation of the executive order.
