What happened
A federal judge in Massachusetts ruled Monday that the Trump administration's decision to cancel more than $1 billion in National Institutes of Health research grants was illegal and discriminatory, and ordered most of the funding restored. The grants were largely directed toward research covering the health of racial minorities, women, and the LGBTQ+ community.
Who said what
The abrupt cancellation of the grants was a result of the administration's crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Monday's decision settled two lawsuits, one from a group of Democratic-led states and the other from a coalition of researchers and unions led by the American Public Health Association. It "marked at least a temporary win for the academic community," The New York Times said.
In his ruling, U.S. District Judge William Young, a Ronald Reagan appointee, said he had "never seen government racial discrimination like this" in his four decades on the bench, adding, "I would be blind not to call it out. My duty is to call it out." Young's "sweeping rebuke" marked an "extraordinary departure for a federal judge of any era,” said Politico. White House spokesperson Kush Desai said it was "appalling that a federal judge would use court proceedings to express his political views and preferences."
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What next?
Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, said the agency "stands by its decision to end funding for research that prioritized ideological agendas" and was considering an appeal.
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