Lawsuit filed to block Trump’s anti-DEI executive order

A coalition of higher education and civic leaders went to court Monday in Maryland to stop President Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders.

Serving as legal counsel for the plaintiffs are Democracy Forward and Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Asian American Justice Center.

“The President’s Anti-DEIA executive orders are attempts to cause panic and suppress, selectively, any idea or expression that isn’t aligned with his own views under the guise of uplifting merit, said John C. Yang, President and Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC. “The President cannot stifle our rights and override our democratic processes simply because he feels like it. We are committed to standing up to fight for access, diversity, equity, and inclusion for all.”

The lawsuit filed in federal court asserts that “In the United States, there is no king. President Trump cannot usurp Congress’ executive power…nor can he silence those who disagree with him by threatening them with the loss of federal funds or other executive actions.”

The groups that include the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, the American Association of University Professors, Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, and the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, Maryland charge the order from the president is too vague and give the attorney general “carte blanch authority to implement the order discriminatorily.”

 “I will end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life,” the president said in his inauguration speech foreshadowing his executive orders.