On February 21, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland issued a preliminary injunction pausing enforcement of several provisions of President Trump’s DEI-related executive orders on Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing (“EO 14151”) and Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity (“EO 14173”).
Notably, the ruling prevents the federal government from enforcing a clause of EO 14173 which would have required federal contractors and grantees to certify both that they: (i) do not operate “illegal” DEI programs; and (ii) are in material compliance with federal anti-discrimination laws – provisions which would have raised potential False Claims Act (“FCA”) liability for covered entities.
Background
Plaintiffs, the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, American Association of University Professors, Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, and the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore (collectively, “Plaintiffs”), are federal contractors and grantees that fund DEI-related research, offer professional development services to individuals from underrepresented backgrounds, and conduct other “DEI-related activities.” On February 3, 2025, Plaintiffs brought suit against President Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and various federal agencies and agency heads, claiming the following provisions of EOs 14151 and 14173 pose an imminent threat of harm to members of Plaintiffs’ organizations...
The Iranian Embassy in New Delhi has issued a stern warning about a series of fake social media accounts impersonating official Iranian entities, allegedly aiming to disrupt the diplomatic relatio...