20 hours Ago By Matthew Vadum
A coalition of activist groups is suing the federal government over President Donald Trump’s executive orders that curtail the government’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and reject transgender ideology. The new lawsuit, known as National Urban League v. Trump, was filed on Feb.
19 with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Judge Loren AliKhan was assigned to the case. The plaintiffs—the National Urban League, National Fair Housing Alliance, and AIDS Foundation of Chicago—seek to block the executive orders, arguing that they violate federal law and the First and Fifth Amendments to the U.S.
Constitution. The defendants are Trump, who is being sued in his official capacity as president, various federal agencies, and the officials who run them. Among the defendants are the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, and Justice, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The legal complaint was filed by Lambda Legal and the Legal Defense Fund, which is also known as the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. “We cannot end the HIV epidemic without working to address health disparities for Black, Latine, LGBTQ+ people, and transgender women,” John Peller, president of the AIDS Foundation Chicago, also said in the statement. The executive orders “would prohibit us from doing that critical and lifesaving work, putting our clients’ and the broader community’s health at risk,” he added.
Lisa Rice, president of the National Fair Housing Alliance, said the executive orders are unlawful because the Constitution and civil rights laws “are centered on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.” “The President cannot undo the Constitution or take away our rights by affixing a signature to an executive order,” she said in the statement. The new legal action takes aim at Executive Orders 14151, 14168, and 14173.
In the complaint, the plaintiffs argue that the executive orders “penalize” them “for expressing viewpoints in support of DEIA and transgender people.” The orders put the plaintiffs “at significant risk of losing federal funds.” The orders also “chill and censor their speech, advocacy, and expressive activity based on content and viewpoint,” and put in jeopardy government funding they need “to accomplish their mission-driven work,” according to the complaint.
“While the President may have his viewpoint ...
the First Amendment bars him from unduly imposing his viewpoint on federal contractors and grantees so that Plaintiffs are forced to either violate their organizational missions or risk losing the federal funding that is vitally necessary, and even sometimes lifesaving, for the communities they serve.” The Epoch Times reached out for comment to the U.S.
Department of Justice, which is representing the defendants. No reply was received by publication time..
