Trump blocked from implementing anti-DEI measures by his own appointee

President Donald Trump, this past week, was blocked from implementing his anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) measures by a federal judge. 

The kicker here is that the judge, according to Newsweek, is an appointee of Trump.

The judge has been identified as U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher of Maryland. Gallagher was initially nominated to this post by former President Barack Obama back in 2015. That nomination fell through, but Trump picked it back up, which has come to the surprise of many.

🚨 BREAKING: An Obama judge just unilaterally struck down and ended President Trump’s policies that eliminate DEI at universities.

She is now ensuring federal funding to schools with DEI.

U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher thinks she is president. IT HAS TO STOP. pic.twitter.com/6ccFBXvewA

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 14, 2025

Trump’s anti-DEI measures

At issue in this case is an effort by the Trump administration to take funding away from schools with DEI programs.

The Daily Caller explains:

The lawsuit, brought on by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), challenged the Department of Education’s (ED) February guidance informing schools that racial preferencing and other DEI tactics would not be tolerated.

More details are provided by The Hill.

Per the outlet:

Earlier in the year, the Trump administration issued a “Dear Colleague” letter for universities threatening to take funding if they don’t end “illegal” DEI efforts. Soon after, K-12 districts got a memo to certify they have no DEI practices in their schools.

Gallagher recently made her initial ruling in the case.

“A sea change”

Gallagher, in her ruling, found Trump’s anti-DEI measures to be unlawful.

She wrote:

The government did not merely remind educators that discrimination is illegal. It initiated a sea change in how the Department of Education regulates educational practices and classroom conduct, causing millions of educators to reasonably fear that their lawful, and even beneficial, speech might cause them or their schools to be punished. The regulation of speech cannot be done casually.

Gallagher went on to claim that Trump’s actions are unconstitutional.

She wrote:

Plaintiffs have shown that neither challenged agency action was promulgated in accordance with the procedural requirements of the APA, and that both actions run afoul of important constitutional rights.

The Trump administration, at the time of this writing, has yet to issue a statement on the ruling. It remains unclear whether or not the administration will appeal Gallagher’s ruling. If we had to guess, we’d say it’s more likely than not that the administration will do so.

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