Supreme Court Upholds NIH Grant Cancellations, Deals Blow to DEI Spending

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Washington D.C. Bureau Staff

(Worthy News) – The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a significant victory to the Trump administration on Thursday, ruling 5-4 to uphold the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) decision to cancel nearly $783 million in taxpayer-funded research grants tied to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and other controversial programs.

High Court Reverses Lower Ruling

The ruling reverses Boston-based U.S. District Judge William Young, who earlier this year blocked the cancellations and accused the administration of “government racial discrimination.” Judge Young had ordered the federal government to restore the funds, siding with activists who argued the cuts were unlawful.

But in a narrow 5-4 decision, the justices rejected that claim, holding that the NIH acted within its authority to align funding priorities with the elected administration’s policies. Chief Justice John Roberts joined the three liberal justices in dissent, while the Court’s conservative majority stood firm with the Trump administration.

Trump Policy Shift at NIH

The NIH, the world’s largest government funder of biomedical research, began rolling back certain grants in February, citing President Trump’s policy to end taxpayer support for projects that critics say promote left-wing ideology under the banner of science.

Among the canceled programs were studies on transgender medical procedures, vaccine hesitancy campaigns, and DEI-related projects. Administration officials argued these grants reflected political agendas rather than core medical research.

“The American people should not be forced to bankroll ideological experiments that have little to do with actual health outcomes,” one administration official said.

Legal Battle Over DEI Funding

Two lawsuits had sought to block the cancellations, claiming the cuts targeted minority-focused programs and violated civil rights protections. The Department of Justice filed an emergency application to the Supreme Court after Judge Young’s injunction, warning that forcing NIH to continue these grants would undermine the government’s ability to set research priorities.

The Court’s ruling clears the way for the administration to proceed with its planned funding reallocations — a move conservatives hail as restoring accountability to taxpayer dollars.

Broader Implications

This marks the latest legal victory for the Trump administration as it dismantles Obama- and Biden-era DEI infrastructure across government agencies. The ruling follows a separate Supreme Court decision allowing the administration to move forward with broad federal layoffs tied to eliminating programs deemed “non-essential.”

Conservatives celebrated the ruling as a step toward ending what they see as the politicization of science. Progressives, however, warned the cuts will harm minority researchers and silence studies on sensitive social issues.

For now, the Court’s ruling signals that Washington is shifting away from DEI-driven research spending and refocusing on medical priorities more closely aligned with the administration’s vision.

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