Federal Judge Rules NEH Grant Cuts Unconstitutional

A federal judge in New York ruled Thursday that the Trump administration's termination of more than 1,400 humanities grants worth over $100 million was unconstitutional, permanently barring the cancellations and finding that the Department of Government Efficiency lacked authority to act.

U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon in Manhattan issued the decision in lawsuits brought by groups including the American Council of Learned Societies, the American Historical Association, the Modern Language Association of America and the Authors Guild, along with individual grant recipients. The grants, awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities with congressionally appropriated funds, were canceled in April 2025 as part of efforts to implement President Donald Trump's executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and reducing discretionary spending.

McMahon found the actions violated the First Amendment's free speech protections and the Fifth Amendment's equal protection clause, describing them as viewpoint discrimination. Grants were targeted based on topics including race, ethnicity, national origin, immigration status, religion, sex and sexual...