Federal judge finds DOGE's elimination of humanities grants "unlawful"
Summary
A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration's decision to cancel many humanities grants was illegal and unconstitutional. The judge said the administration did not have the authority to end these grants and stopped them from enforcing the cancellations.Key Facts
- The Trump administration’s Department of Government and Efficiency (DOGE) ended thousands of humanities grants in April 2025.
- The affected groups included the American Council of Learned Societies, the American Historical Association, and the Modern Language Association of America.
- These groups sued in May 2025, saying the administration had no constitutional right to stop or delay spending approved by Congress.
- U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon ruled the cancellations violated the First and Fifth Amendments and lacked legal authority.
- The judge blocked DOGE from enforcing the grant cancellations.
- DOGE staff did not review grant applications before deciding which to cancel and used ChatGPT to create reasons related to diversity and inclusion.
- The judge noted DOGE staff involved were very young and inexperienced, especially concerning the humanities.
- The ruling was combined with a similar lawsuit from The Authors Guild, another recipient of humanities grants.
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