Supreme Court backs Trump on education grants |
On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Trump administration, allowing the termination of approximately $65m in education grants aimed at teacher training. The case involved grants awarded under the Teacher Quality Partnership and Supporting Effective Educator Development programs. The 5-4 decision overturned a lower court's ruling that had blocked the administration's move, which was based on a new policy opposing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the dissenting liberal justices, while Justice Elena Kagan expressed concern that grant recipients would face significant program cancellations. The Department of Education argued that the grants promoted "objectionable DEI material," leading to their cancellation. A lawsuit was filed in March by eight states including California, Massachusetts and New York, on behalf of entities that receive the grants, such as universities and nonprofits, saying the decision to rescind the awards violated the federal Administrative Procedure Act. The case only involves grants issued to entities in the states that sued. In total, the Department of Education canceled about $600m in grants for teacher training.