Judge Blocks Dept of Education Demand that Schools Certify Compliance with Vague Anti-DEI Requirements

Federal District Court Judge District Judge Dabney Friedrich in the District of Columbia ruled from the bench that Donald Trump’s regime cannot enforce its demand for schools to certify their compliance with vague requirements against diversity, equity and inclusion.

The Department of Education had sent a letter to schools, threatening termination of federal funds unless they comply with the Department’s anti-DEI rule, and sent follow-on communications to demand certification of compliance by 24 April 2025. Friedrich said the policy was too vague for schools to be able to tell whether or not they met it. In a 16 page ruling, she wrote that taking away federal funding “without sufficiently defining the conduct that might trigger liability, violates the Fifth Amendment’s prohibition on vagueness.”

Friedrich’s ruling is effective nationwide.

She was the third of three judges from three separate District Courts to rule on the same day against various aspects of the same action by the Department of Education. Her ruling was preceded by one from District Court Judge Landya McCafferty in New Hampshire and another by District Court Judge Stephanie Gallagher in Maryland.

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