A federal appeals court on Friday vacated a nationwide injunction that blocked President Trump’s executive order banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs across federal agencies and among government contractors.
“In the first days of his second term, President Donald J. Trump issued two Executive Orders that directed executive agencies to end “diversity, equity and inclusion (‘DEI’) programs within federal grant and contract processes,” the court wrote.
“The district court entered a preliminary injunction, but we stayed pending appeal. We now vacate the district court’s injunction and remand,” it added.
🚨 A Fourth Circuit panel has VACATED a nationwide injunction that blocked President Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders. pic.twitter.com/UgXGLsKEMH
— SCOTUS Wire (@scotus_wire) February 6, 2026
Newsweek has more:
The decision by a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, overturned a lower court injunction that had blocked enforcement of the orders, which Trump signed shortly after returning to office.
U.S. Circuit Judge Albert Diaz, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, wrote for the panel that the executive orders could not be challenged broadly before being applied. Instead, he said, legal challenges must be brought based on how federal agencies enforce the directives in specific cases.
ADVERTISEMENT“President Trump has decided that equity isn’t a priority in his administration and so has directed his subordinates to terminate funding that supports equity-related projects to the maximum extent allowed by law,” Diaz wrote. “Whether that’s sound policy or not isn’t our call.”
The panel had previously paused the injunction in March 2025 while it considered the administration’s appeal.
“For those disappointed by the outcome, I say this: Follow the law,” Diaz wrote, according to Courthouse News Service.
“Continue your critical work. Keep the faith. And depend on the Constitution, which remains a beacon amid the tumult,” he added.
Key provisions of President Donald Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders are fair game for federal agencies to enforce, after the Fourth Circuit reversed a federal judge’s decision blocking implementation. https://t.co/5pbnOYMvA0
— Bloomberg Law (@BLaw) February 6, 2026
Courthouse News Service shared further:
The orders directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to develop a plan to deter private sector DEI programs and to work with agencies to identify targets for “civil compliance investigations.”
Federal agencies responded to the order by canceling a slew of grants and contracts related to DEI, resulting a flurry of lawsuits as municipalities, nonprofits and universities have challenged the decisions.
Bondi has said the Department of Justice would investigate and penalize any “illegal” DEI programs. The Federal Communications Commission has likewise pressured private companies including Comcast and Disney to eliminate DEI programs and scrub related policies from their websites.
In February, the city of Baltimore challenged the executive orders in Maryland federal court. The city was joined by the American Association of University Professors and the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education. A fourth plaintiff, Restaurant Opportunities Center United, ultimately withdrew its claims.
ADVERTISEMENTHow does it seem to you?
