Emergency Motion Filed After Reports of Trump Administration Violating Preliminary Injunction on Anti-DEIA Executive Orders

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Aleisha Flores (771)-233-8202 aflores@advancingjustice-aajc.org

Baltimore, MD — Today, plaintiffs filed an emergency motion for a status conference after reports that the Trump administration is violating a preliminary injunction from the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland on Trump’s anti-equity executive orders. Plaintiffs are seeking the court’s intervention to ensure compliance with its orders to the federal government.

The motion was filed by Democracy Forward and Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC on behalf of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE), the American Association of University Professors, Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC), and the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, Maryland. In February, the court issued a nationwide preliminary injunction¹ in response to the plaintiffs’ complaint² challenging enforcement of the executive orders titled, “Ending Radical Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” and “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” (collectively the “Anti-DEIA Executive Orders”). 

This new legal action comes after reporting³ that the Trump administration explicitly told staff the court order was “irrelevant” and to ignore the injunction and continue to enforce the executive orders. 

“The Government’s failure to comply with this injunction is freezing funding for critical services and threatening the first amendment rights of all Americans,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “We are asking the court to act quickly to ensure the Trump administration’s unlawful overreach comes to an end. In the United States, no one is above the law and the Trump administration must not be allowed to continue to act without regard to court orders.”

John C. Yang, President and Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC said, “The Trump administration’s blatant disregard for the court’s preliminary injunction is a dangerous abuse of power. Continuing to enforce executive orders that attack diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility not only violates the law—it threatens the rights and opportunities of all Americans. These actions are already harming communities, from university classrooms to city governments. Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC is proud to work alongside our partners to demand and ensure accountability. No administration is above the law.”

The motion is available here⁴, and a letter to the Department of Justice identifying community harm from the administration’s practices can be found here⁵. 

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