Trump administration drops appeal of DEI funding threat block, leaving injunction in place

The Trump administration dropped its appeal on January 22, 2026 of a federal court ruling that had blocked the Education Department's "Dear Colleague" letter threatening to strip federal funding from schools and colleges with DEI programs. The abandonment left intact Judge Stephanie Gallagher's August 2025 injunction, which found the letter violated the First Amendment and the Administrative Procedure Act's notice-and-comment requirement. The Education Department also halted a follow-up certification effort that would have required school districts to affirm they had no DEI programs.