Federal courts continue to grapple with challenges to President Trump’s executive orders (“EOs”) related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”), particularly EO 14151, Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing, and EO 14173, Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity. As we’ve noted in our coverage of the litigation first filed in the District Court of Maryland, there has been a sense of whiplash among the courts, with the District Court initially issuing a nationwide injunction that was then stayed by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Now a second federal court has weighed in, issuing a new, nationwide temporary restraining order (“TRO”). This new TRO is more limited than the prior preliminary injunction issued by the District Court of Maryland, in that the new TRO only applies to Department of Labor (“DOL”) contractors and grantees. Nevertheless, the Court’s reasoning could be helpful to the contractors and grantees of other agencies facing renewed demands to execute the DEI Certification.
Case Background
The case is Chicago Women in Trades v. Trump et al., 1:25-cv-02005. It was filed on February 26, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois by Chicago Women in Trades (“CWIT”), an Illinois-based non-profit and DOL grantee whose mission is to prepare women to enter and remain in high-wage skilled trades, such as carpentry, electrical work, welding, and plumbing.
Read the full post on our Government Contracts Navigator blog.
