Appeals Court Lifts Blocks On Trump’s DEI Orders

March 15, 2025 5:10 am

An appeals court has lifted a block on executive orders seeking to end government support for diversity, equity and inclusion programs, handing the Trump administration a win after a string of setbacks defending President Donald Trump’s agenda against dozens of lawsuits. The decision from a three-judge panel allows the orders to be enforced as a lawsuit against them plays out. The judges halted a nationwide injunction from U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson in Baltimore. Two of the judges on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals acknowledged the anti-DEI orders could raise concerns about First Amendment rights, but said the judge’s sweeping block went too far. Abelson had found the orders violated free-speech rights and are unconstitutionally vague.