A federal appeals court grappled with a legal battle on Thursday between an education organization and the Trump administration over the Department of Education’s decision to terminate a grant due to the group’s advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, the latest courtroom fight over the administration’s bid to end DEI through government programs and grants.
A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit heard arguments between lawyers for the ACT Now Coalition, an education group which specializes in providing after-school programs for students in Illinois, and the Department of Justice over the Education Department’s December 2025 decision to terminate the group’s grants. Michael Ortega, the lawyer arguing for the ACT Now Coalition, argued stripping the funding violates the First Amendment by retaliating based on viewpoint, while emphasizing the effects of taking away the group’s funding.
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