'Sinister story': Obama-appointed judge reluctantly backs Trump's war on DEI
President Donald Trump's war on diversity, equity, and inclusion just got the green light from a federal appeals court.
On Friday, a three-judge panel from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, struck down a lower court injunction that would have blocked the administration's sweeping executive orders eliminating DEI programs across federal agencies and government contractors, Reuters reported.
The ruling marks a major victory for Trump, who signed the orders shortly after taking office last year. Baltimore, the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, and the American Association of University Professors had sued to block the directives, arguing they violated First Amendment free speech protections and Fifth Amendment due process rights.
Judge Albert Diaz, writing for the panel, ruled the challenge premature.
"President Trump has decided that equity isn't a priority in his administration and so has directed his subordinates to terminate funding that supports equity-related projects to the maximum extent allowed by law," Diaz wrote. "Whether that's sound policy or not isn't our call."
In a concurring opinion, Diaz, an Obama appointee, admitted he reached his conclusion "reluctantly," citing what he called a "sinister story" of programs being terminated by keyword.