4th Circuit panel vacates injunction against Trump's anti-DEI orders

"The district court entered a preliminary injunction, but we stayed pending appeal. We now vacate the district court's injunction and remand," they wrote.

Published: February 6, 2026 2:56pm

A panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday issued a decision lifting a stay on President Donald Trump's executive orders ending diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices in federal agencies.

"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."

The National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, the American Association of University Professors, and the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, Md., had challenged the orders.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.

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