The city of Maryland and three other groups sued U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration on Monday, asking a federal court to halt and declare unconstitutional a pair of executive orders that seek to end diversity programs.
Trump has attempted to remove any U.S. government support for diversity, equity and inclusion practices within the federal government, issuing executive orders on his first two days in office that threaten economic sanctions and dismissals.
The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the district of Maryland alleges the orders exceeded the president's authority under the U.S. Constitution and asks the court for preliminary and permanent injunctions to block the orders, in addition to finding them unlawful and unconstitutional.
"In the United States, there is no king," reads the lawsuit from the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, the American Association of University Professors, the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United and the mayor and city council of Baltimore.
The suit named as defendants Trump, nine government departments and their corresponding cabinet officers, the National Science Foundation and the Office of Management and Budget.
The White House referred Reuters to the Justice Department for comment. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for a statement.
Trump campaigned on ending programs that help women, ethnic minorities and LGBTQ people obtain government jobs and contracts, saying such practices unfairly punish more qualified applicants.
Civil rights and pro-equality groups argue the programs are necessary to correct discrimination in a country where women and African Americans did not achieve legal equality until the 20th century and continue to lag behind their white male counterparts in pay and opportunity.
"In his crusade to erase diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility from our country, President Trump cannot usurp Congress's exclusive power of the purse, nor can he silence those who disagree with him by threatening them with the loss of federal funds and other enforcement action," the lawsuit says.
Trump's Jan. 20 executive order rescinded diversity policies of the Biden administration and sought the widespread dismissal of federal government employees with the directive to "terminate, to the maximum extent allowed by law, all DEI, DEIA, and 'environmental justice' offices and positions."
The Jan. 21 order targeted publicly traded corporations, large non-profit corporations, foundations, state and local bar and medical associations, and university endowments, seeking to deter them from engaging in diversity programs.
