Doge slashing of humanities grants in 2025 ruled biased and unconstitutional | US politics
A federal judge ruled Thursday that the termination of hundreds of humanities scholarships last year by the Trump administration’s so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) was unconstitutional and involved “blatant” discrimination. In April of last year, the Donald Trump administration terminated more than 1,400 grants representing more than $100 million in congressionally appropriated funds to scholars, authors, research institutions and other humanities organizations.
The layoffs were part of billionaire Elon Musk’s cost-cutting effort at Doge.
“The government has engaged in blatant viewpoint discrimination,” U.S. district judge Colleen McMahon said in condemning what she described as the Trump administration’s crackdown on diversity practices.
The judge said the terminations violated the U.S. Constitution’s first amendment, which provides for free speech rights, and the equal protection component of the fifth amendment. The ruling also stated that the Doge had no legal authority to terminate the grants.
“What mattered to DOGE was not whether a grant was scientifically deficient, did not comply with its terms, or fell outside the scope of the NEH. [the National Endowment for the Humanities] legal purposes. What was important was that the grant related to a ‘minority group,'” the judge wrote.
“DOGE considered grants related to Black, Asian, Latino, and Indigenous communities, as well as race and ethnicity, including national origin and immigration status, religion and religious identity (including Jewish, Christian, and Muslim subjects), gender, and sexual orientation, as criteria for grant termination.”
The judge also said that Doge staff using the AI tool ChatGPT to justify ending some grants would not absolve the government from responsibility for its decisions.
“The government cannot escape responsibility for DOGE’s work by scapegoating ChatGPT,” the judge wrote. Rights advocates have expressed concern about Trump’s attacks on educational and arts institutions, diversity initiatives, historic sites and museums, saying the attacks could undo decades of social progress and undermine recognition of critical stages in American history.
Trump claimed that many cultural, artistic, and educational institutions and organizations are bastions of liberalism and “anti-American” values and that they do not portray U.S. history in a positive light. The US ally has threatened to withhold federal funding over pro-Palestinian protests against Israel’s attack on Gaza, transgender policies, climate initiatives and diversity programs.
Their targets ranged from elite universities, the Smithsonian Institution and the Kennedy Center to broadcasters such as National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service.
