Judge blocks administration from enforcing anti-diversity and anti-transgender executive orders
U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar said Monday that the federal government cannot force recipients to halt programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion or acknowledge the existence of transgender people in order to receive grant funding. The order will remain in effect while the legal case continues, although government lawyers will likely appeal.
The funding provisions "reflect an effort to censor constitutionally protected speech and services promoting DEI and recognizing the existence of transgender individuals," Tigar wrote.
He went on to say that the executive branch must still be bound by the Constitution in shaping its agenda and that even in the context of federal subsidies, "it cannot weaponize Congressionally appropriated funds to single out protected communities for disfavored treatment or suppress ideas that it does not like or has deemed dangerous."
The plaintiffs include health centers, LGBTQ+ services groups and the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Historical Society. All receive federal funding and say they cannot complete their missions by following the president's executive orders.
The San Francisco AIDS Foundation, one of the plaintiffs, said in 2023 it received a five-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to expand and enhance sexual health services, including the prevention of sexually transmitted infections. The $1.3 million project specifically targets communities disproportionately affected by sexual health disparities.
But in April, the CDC informed the nonprofit that it must "immediately terminate all programs, personnel, activities, or contracts" that promote DEI or gender ideology.
President Donald Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders since taking office in January, including ones to roll back transgender protections and stop DEI programs. Lawyers for the government say that the president is permitted to "align government funding and enforcement strategies" with his policies.
Plaintiffs say that Congress — and not the president — has the power to condition how federal funds are used, and that the executive orders restrict free speech rights.
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BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Gaza: Hamas says it is consulting other groups on ceasefire plan
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Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Iran's ‘medieval' fatwa demanding Trump be CRUCIFIED could spark homegrown terror attacks in West, top politicians warn
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IRAN'S "medieval" regime demanding Donald Trump be crucified could provoke "homegrown terrorist attacks", top politicians warn. Warped Ayatollahs issued a call to arms to Muslims urging them to make the US president "regret his actions" - branding him an "enemy of God". Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Donald Trump was shot at during an assassination attempt last year Credit: AP 6 Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi issued a horrifying Fatwa Credit: Alamy 6 A picture of the fatwa released by the Iranian mullah Fatwas - religious edicts - have been levelled against Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu by senior mullahs under the Islamic penal code "mohareb" - waging war against God. Sharia law states those charged must not only be killed but also tortured prior to death, including through crucifixion and limb amputation. Senior cleric Najmuddin Tabasi vowed Trump "must be executed" and said "the same hand that fired a shot past his ear can put a bullet through his throat" - referring to an assassination attempt last July. A sickening fundraiser has even been set up by hardline Iranian cleric Abdolmajid Kharahaani to hire an assassin to murder Trump and Israeli prime minister Netanyahu. It comes in the wake of the so-called 12-day war which saw Trump and Israel "obliterate" much of Iran's nuclear empire. United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) Chairman Governor Jeb Bush, CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, and Senior Advisor Rt. Hon. Tom Tugendhat MP insisted the mullahs must be urgently sanctioned. They also warned how high-ranking regime enforcers are in contact with individuals in both the US and Europe. In a statement shared exclusively with The Sun, Bush, Wallace and Tugendhat said: "The Iranian regime's medieval and barbaric threats against the US president and others cannot be ignored – and must not go unanswered. "The US government and its allies should immediately sanction Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, his son Mojtaba Khamenei, Makarem-Shirazi, Hamedani, Tabasi, and Panahian, as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. 'None of these men have been sanctioned to date under counterterrorism authorities. Iran executes three prisoners accused of spying for Israel in brutal crackdown in wake of 12-day war "Additionally, the US Justice Department should seek indictments against these me and American law enforcement should partner with its allies to request INTERPOL Red Notices for issuing threats to internationally protected individuals." The trio also urged US authorities to conduct national security-based immigration review on named clerics, Iranian officials and their families to stop them from traveling to America and allied nations. "UANI has revealed that these senior Iranian regime mullahs are in direct communication with individuals and entities in the West, including in the US and Europe," they added. "Against this backdrop, there is an added urgency to implement stringent measures against them. "These calls are incitements to homegrown terrorist attacks and pose a serious threat to the president and US nationals—they should be treated accordingly." 6 Smoke rises from a fire following a strike on Tehran in June Credit: Reuters 6 Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressing the nation in June during Israel's strikes Credit: AFP What is a fatwa? A FATWA is a formal ruling or interpretation on a point of Islamic law by a Marja - a title given to the highest level of Twelver Shia religious cleric. It calls on all Muslims, including the Islamic governments and individuals, to ensure its enforcement. In countries where Islamic law is the basis of the legal system, a fatwa can be binding. A fatwa issued by Iran's first supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini led to the massacre of 30,000 prisoners including some as young as 13 in a shocking two-month purge. The 1988 executions were revealed in the memoirs of Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri, one of Ayatollah Khomeini's closest advisors who went on to condemn his murderous act. In it, he accused prisoners of "waging war against God" and urged Death Commissioners in charge of the mass killings to "show no mercy". Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi unleashed the fatwa on Sunday in response to Trump's comments on possible intentions to kill Ayatollah Khamenei. It comes after the US leader, 79, warned last month that he knew where Khamenei was hiding but wouldn't target him - "at least not for now". A day earlier, Netanyahu had said killing the supreme leader would not "escalate the conflict", but instead "end it". Furious Shirazi said 'any person or regime that threatens the leadership and religious authority' is considered a 'mohareb' – one who wages war against God. The sick fatwa also forbids any Muslim to cooperate with or support the two leaders - and says that any jihadist who is killed while attacking them will receive a reward from Allah. Shirazi's ruling came following an inquiry on how Muslims should react to threats made against the Supreme Leader and other Shia leaders. Timeline of assassination attempts on Donald Trump July 13, 2024 - Thomas Crooks shot at Donald Trump after hiding on a roof overlooking the former President's outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Crooks was killed by Secret Service snipers after he fired eight shots at Trump and killed one rallygoer and injured two others. The bullet came less than a quarter of an inch from striking Trump's head, Ronny Jackson, the former president's physician, said. September 15 - Ryan Routh was seen by a Secret Service agent hiding in the bushes with a rifle at the Trump International Golf Club in Florida. Trump was playing a round of golf when the alleged would-be assassin managed to get within 400 yard of Trump. Routh fled the scene in an SUV but was caught by cops and arrested. September 25 - Donald Trump posts on social media that he's been informed of an Iranian plot against his life. October 7 - Farhad Shakeri is given an order by an official in Iran's Revolutionary Guard to come up with a plan to kill Donald Trump within seven days. He told the FBI that he never intended to devise a plan in that timeframe, but allegedly discussed it with two hired guns in New York. November 7 - Carlisle Rivera of Brooklyn and Jonathan Loadholt of Staten Island are arrested in New York for being part of the plot to kill Donald Trump along with three other Americans Iran deemed targets. Shirazi, one of Tehran's chief religious authorities, called on Muslims worldwide to "make these enemies regret their words and actions". A fatwa was previously handed down on author Salman Rushdie in 1989 after his book The Satanic Verses infuriated then Ayatollah Khomeini - who put a $3million bounty on his head. The novelist, 77, faced numerous death threats and was forced to live largely in hiding for years before an assassination attempt in 2022. He lost sight in one eye after he was repeatedly stabbed on stage during a lecture in New York. It comes amid fears the fatwas are being used to stoke fears among domestic dissidents who dare to rebel against the regime. Hundreds have been arrested in the last two weeks, many accused of spying for Israel, and executions have escalated. Campaigners have warned the wounded regime is ramping up repression of its own people in a bid to stamp out any chance of an uprising. At a funeral for military top brass killed during Israel's strike, haunting chants of "Death to America" rung out. 6
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
The bizarre way Trump plans to celebrate 250 years of American independence
President Trump announced plans for a Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fight to be held on the White House grounds. The event is intended to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, which falls on July 4, 2026. Trump stated the event would be a championship fight, potentially accommodating 20,000 to 25,000 spectators. He also outlined other anniversary celebrations, including a festival on the National Mall and a high school athletic competition. During his speech in Iowa, Trump additionally highlighted the passage of his tax and spending bill.
