Trump Abandons the Field on DEI

James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal ^ | March 11, 2026 | T.J. Harker

[karpov]

In February 2025, a newly installed Trump Department of Education (ED) issued a so-called Dear Colleague Letter. The letter put educational institutions on notice that ED intended to enforce the nation’s anti-discrimination laws, particularly those in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and in the Constitution. It further specified that “discriminatory practices” would not be tolerated merely because they had been repackaged “under the banner of ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (‘DEI’).”

Left-wing media pundits went berserk. They said the policy announcement was a “threat to equal opportunity,” called it an “extreme and implausible interpretation of the law governing diversity, equity, and inclusion,” and claimed it had “no obvious parallels in modern American history.”

Lawsuits ensued, including one by the National Education Association in March 2025 and another by the American Federation of Teachers the same month. New Hampshire District Court judge Landya McCafferty wasted no time in granting NEA’s preliminary injunction in April. Maryland District Court judge Stephanie Gallagher followed suit in August, vacating the letter in its entirety. On October 13 of last year, ED filed a notice of appeal in the Fourth Circuit. Then, in late January, ED unexpectedly dismissed its appeal. Why? Before we get to that, we must consider some background on the explosion of DEI on university campuses.

Until about five years ago, universities referred to their lawless racial discrimination as “affirmative action.” Federal courts played along in cases such as Regents of the University of California v. Bakke and Grutter v. Bollinger.

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TOPICS: Education
KEYWORDS: college; dei; lawfare; mullahloversonfr; tds; woke

[Leaning Right]

> ED unexpectedly dismissed its appeal. Why? Before we get to that, we must consider some background… <

We old folks get lost in lengthy explanations. So how’s about a Cliff Notes version?

[Regulator]

The bottom line is that the administration is drowning in lawsuits - as expected - and Solicitor General Sauer doesn’t have enough attorneys working for him to work all the cases in addition to being undermined by career (=Rats) attorneys in the DoJ...whom Blondie apparently won’t control.

The death of the United States will be recorded as being at the hands of the so-called “judiciary”.

[fruser1]

Cliff Notes

Trump's fight on DEI was via executive action, which can be easily undone.

We need Congress to act.

But they won't.

[Leaning Right]

Thanks!

[PeterPrinciple]

The bottom line is that the administration is drowning in lawsuits - as expected

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But the door is open for us to be involved. It is our job now.

[Wuli]

That the Trump administration is inundated with lawsuits and so much so that Trump appointees are having to rely too much on multiple federal agencies career lawyers is in fact in part a self inflicted would by an excessive cavalier behavior towards existing laws and legal precedents; hoping to win appeals on the mere basis of intent of purpose alone. Right ideas don t make progress under wrong methods.

[Macoozie]

“The death of the United States will be recorded as being at the hands of the so-called “judiciary”.”

As often the case, it appears Shakespeare was right?

[sjmjax]

“…abandons the field…”

A curious way to say “ restoring sanity to hiring practices”.

[sopo]

I think he explains pretty well that the activist judges themselves consider any work product of the administration sheets to the wind.

[jmaroneps37]

“Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?”
Will some adult please sit this child down and explain that things that have been embedded for years can’t be fixed in months?

[ProgressingAmerica]

"The death of the United States will be recorded as being at the hands of the so-called “judiciary”."

It will not. The death of the United States will be recorded as being at the hands of the unmotivated people.

"We need Congress to act.
But they won't."

We need the voters to act.

But they won't. The last time the voters acted(See below), Congress also acted.

This is a failure of we the voters.

We all know how to use markers to make signs. When we want congress to act, there will be proof we want congress to act because there will be new signs held up next year and there will be photos of our desire for congress to act.

[paudio]

And if we read Freepers’ complaints, as if DoJ doesn’t do anything...

[Governor Dinwiddie]

I second the motion!

[Vaduz]

Good fact points

[Midwesterner53]

Yet the Supreme Court has ruled twice that appeals courts have no jurisdiction nationally over the President. Still the administration grinds to a halt any time one of these decisions comes down. If only they would show some backbone and tell the court it has no jurisdiction and the policy stands until the Supremes rule, this mess would go away. This is a self inflicted wound.

[Mmmike]

We need to form citizen militias pronto and prepare to carry out the law with respect to the current insurrectionists since there is no one else who will do it.

[sauropod]

bkmk

[edweena]

You are correct. President Trump has let time slip by and done little to put laws behind his executive orders. The Republican advantage in Congress has gotten weaker, and may get decimated in the midterms. I don’t understand why President Trump does not seem to be looking very far into the future. He should be securing his policies with legislation that will continue after his term is over, rather than relying on EOs that will be easily reversed when he leaves office.

[Albion Wilde]

bump