Last night, the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration issued a cancellation of its January 22, 2025 Training and Employment Notice (TEN) No. 21-24 regarding Immediate Implementation of Executive Orders “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing” and “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” This cancellation is in response to a temporary injunction issued by U.S. District Court Judge Adam Abelson in Baltimore blocking President Trump from withholding federal funding for programs that incorporate “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) initiatives pursuant to the above-mentioned executive orders. Judge Abelson reasoned that the policy likely violates the First Amendment by penalizing private organizations based on their viewpoints and being impermissibly vague by prohibiting an undefined range of conduct referred to as “illegal DEI.”
