NY Judge Blocks $175M NEH Grant Cancellations Citing First Amendment

A federal judge in New York has issued a preliminary injunction halting the mass cancellation of National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grants awarded to members of the Authors Guild, citing violations of their First Amendment rights. Judge Colleen McMahon found that the grants were terminated based on the recipients' perceived viewpoints, with many cancellations linked to projects related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and politically sensitive topics such as a study on the Ku Klux Klan's resurgence in the 1970s and 1980s. The government had flagged such projects on internal spreadsheets and cited executive orders aimed at combating 'Radical Indoctrination' and promoting 'Biological Truth' in the termination notices, which the judge viewed as viewpoint discrimination. The judge emphasized that while the administration may refocus NEH priorities, it cannot do so in a way that violates constitutional protections or censors history. The Authors Guild filed a class-action lawsuit against the NEH and the Department of Government Efficiency, arguing the cancellations disrupted academic freedom and due process. The injunction pauses the cancellations and the reallocation of funds until a full trial can assess the legality of the actions.