WASHINGTON, May 7 (Reuters) – A federal judge ruled, opens new tab on Thursday that the terminations \u200bof hundreds of humanities grants last year by the Trump administration’s so-called Department of \u200cGovernment Efficiency were unconstitutional, and involved “blatant” discrimination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In April last year, President Donald Trump’s administration terminated more than 1,400 grants, representing over $100 million in congressionally appropriated funds awarded to scholars, writers, research institutions and other humanities organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The terminations were part \u200bof a cost-cutting drive that billionaire Elon Musk was leading at DOGE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The Government engaged \u200bin blatant viewpoint discrimination,” U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon said in condemning what \u2060the Trump administration cast as a crackdown on diversity practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The judge said the terminations violated the \u200bU.S. Constitution’s First Amendment, which provides free speech rights, and its Fifth Amendment’s equal protection component. The \u200bruling also said DOGE did not have the legal authority to terminate the grants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“What mattered to DOGE was not whether a grant lacked scholarly merit, failed to comply with its terms, or fell outside NEH’s (National Endowment for the \u200bHumanities) statutory purposes. What mattered was that the grant concerned a ‘minority group’,” the judge wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“DOGE swept \u200bin race and ethnicity \u2013 including grants concerning Black, Asian, Latino, and Indigenous communities \u2013 as well as national origin \u200cand immigration \u2060status; religion and religious identity (including Jewish, Christian, and Muslim subjects); sex; and sexual orientation, as criteria for grant termination.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The judge also said that DOGE staff’s use of artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT to come up with the rationale to terminate some grants would not absolve the government of responsibility for \u200bits decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The government cannot escape \u200bliability for DOGE’s \u2060work by scapegoating ChatGPT,” the judge wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rights advocates have raised concerns about Trump’s attacks on educational and arts institutions, diversity initiatives, and historical places and museums, saying \u200bthey could undo decades of social progress and undermine acknowledgement of critical phases \u200bof American history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump \u2060has alleged that many cultural, arts and educational institutions and bodies are a bastion of liberalism and “anti-American” values that do not portray U.S. history in a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He has made threats to cut their \u2060federal funding \u200bover pro-Palestinian protests against U.S. ally Israel’s assault on Gaza, transgender policies, \u200bclimate initiatives and diversity programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His targets have ranged from elite universities, the Smithsonian Institution and the Kennedy Center to broadcasters including the \u200bNational Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n