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An appeals court has lifted a block on President Trump's executive orders ending federal support for DEI programs.
On Friday, the three judge panel on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the orders can be enforced during a pending lawsuit. The ruling reverses a nationwide injunction from U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson in Baltimore, a Biden nominee.
According to the report, two of the judges said the orders "could raise concerns" about First Amendment rights, but that Abelson's block "went too far." Abelson previously ruled the orders violated the right to free speech and were unconstitutionally "vague."
A lawsuit was previously filed by the City of Baltimore, the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, the American Association of University Professors and the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, alleging the executive orders as presidential overreach.
Trump's orders instructed federal agencies to end all "equity-related" grants or contracts. It also required federal contractors to certify that they don’t promote DEI.