Trump Judge Betrays America In Stunning Win For DEI

In a stunning act of judicial betrayal, a Trump-appointed federal judge in Baltimore has sided with the radical diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) movement — effectively shielding left-wing ideology from the Trump administration’s America First education reforms.

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher blocked the Department of Education from withholding billions in federal funds from schools that refuse to end their DEI programs. The ruling is a devastating blow to President Trump’s second-term push to root out race-based favoritism and restore merit in America’s classrooms.

The case centered on two Education Department memos issued earlier this year, which warned that schools clinging to DEI practices — particularly race-based decision-making — could lose billions in federal support. The Trump administration made it clear: taxpayer dollars should never be used to prop up the corrosive ideology that pits students against each other based on skin color.

But Judge Gallagher decided otherwise. In a sprawling 76-page opinion, she claimed the administration’s anti-DEI push “ran afoul” of the Administrative Procedures Act and threatened so-called free speech protections. “The administration is entitled to express its viewpoints and to promulgate policies aligned with those viewpoints,” Gallagher wrote. “But it must do so within the procedural bounds Congress has outlined. And it may not do so at the expense of constitutional rights.”

The “constitutional rights” she refers to? The so-called “right” of schools to continue indoctrinating students with leftist racial politics — all on the taxpayer’s dime.

Gallagher doubled down in her opinion, warning that Trump’s reforms caused “millions of educators to reasonably fear that their lawful, and even beneficial, speech might cause them or their schools to be punished.” By “lawful and beneficial speech,” she is talking about the same DEI initiatives that have been used to lower standards, promote racial quotas, and inject divisive politics into everything from math class to gym.

The lawsuit that led to this ruling was spearheaded by the American Federation of Teachers and the American Sociological Association — hardly neutral actors. Both groups have been vocal defenders of DEI, and their February filing claimed Trump’s policy amounted to censorship.

The memos at the heart of the case were clear. In February, the Education Department ordered every school and university receiving federal funds to end “all race-based decision-making” or risk losing funding entirely. In April, the Department escalated, demanding states certify they were not using “illegal DEI practices,” warning that violations could lead to loss of funding and prosecution under the False Claims Act.

Gallagher’s ruling forces the administration to reverse course, at least for now. But the fight is far from over. Trump officials have already signaled they will appeal to higher courts, and the Supreme Court may ultimately decide whether DEI remains entrenched in taxpayer-funded schools.

This isn’t the first time activist judges — even ones appointed by conservatives — have undercut Trump’s anti-DEI agenda. In April, U.S. District Judge Landya McCafferty in New Hampshire also blocked similar funding cuts, calling them “textbook viewpoint discrimination.” That’s judicial code for siding with the Left’s ideological monopoly in education.

The Education Department responded Thursday with disappointment but determination. “Judicial action enjoining or setting aside this guidance has not stopped our ability to enforce Title VI protections for students at an unprecedented level,” the statement read — signaling the administration will continue fighting race-based discrimination through other channels.

The reality is clear: DEI isn’t just a “program” — it’s a political weapon used to remake America’s schools into ideological training camps. Judge Gallagher’s decision keeps that weapon firmly in the Left’s arsenal, at least for now.

President Trump promised to dismantle the DEI-industrial complex, and this setback will not end that mission. But it is a stark reminder that not all Trump appointees share his America First vision. In moments like this, the conservative movement must demand judges who are willing to stand firm against the institutional rot that DEI represents.

Because if a Trump-appointed judge can turn on America and defend DEI, then no one should underestimate how deeply the Left’s poison has seeped into the system.