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Gary Fields.

President Donald Trump pauses while speaking during an announcement about Apple with Apple CEO Tim Cook in the Oval Office, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Judge issues temporary injunction against Trump administration cancellation of humanities grants

August 6, 2025

A federal judge in Oregon has issued an injunction temporarily stopping the mass cancellation of National Endowment for the Humanities grants to humanities councils around the country. Judge Michael H. Simon says the cancellations were likely unconstitutional and the lawsuit challenging the actions would likely succeed on merits. The judge says the defendants’ conduct reflects a “deliberate decision to flout Congressional command and refuse to spend appropriated funds.” The Department of Government Efficiency and the National Endowment for the Humanities canceled dozens of grants to state and local humanities’ councils in April as part of President Donald Trump’s cost-cutting efforts.

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FILE - Luci Baines Johnson looks at the desk May 16, 2023, on display at the LBJ Presidential Library, that President Lyndon B. Johnson sat at in the President's Room at the U.S. Capitol to sign the Voting Rights Act of 1965, on Aug. 6, 1965. (AP Photo/Stephen Spillman, File)

Things to know about the Voting Rights Act and the cases that could unravel it

August 6, 2025

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 ended the discriminatory practices against Black voters that were prevalent in many states. That discrimination included poll taxes and literacy tests that allowed those voters to be turned away. The law also established a process known as preclearance, which required that all or parts of 15 states with a history of discriminatory practices in voting get federal approval before making changes to the way they hold elections. The Supreme Court removed that pillar in 2013. Cases before the current court could undo most of what’s left of the law.

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FILE - Whitney Cooper casts her ballot on Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024, in Canton, N.C. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, file)

Court restricts who can bring voting rights challenges in a case involving voters with disabilities

July 29, 2025

A federal appeals court panel has ruled that private individuals and organizations cannot bring voting rights cases under a section of the law that allows others to assist voters who are blind, have disabilities or are unable to read. It’s the latest ruling from the St. Louis-based 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, saying only the government can bring lawsuits alleging violations of the Voting Rights Act. The findings upend decades of precedent and will likely be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Monday’s ruling followed the reasoning of another 8th Circuit panel in a previous case from 2023.

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FILE - President Donald Trump, right, speaks during a news conference with Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Judge issues temporary injunction against Trump administration cancellation of humanities grants

July 26, 2025

A district court judge in New York has issued a preliminary injunction stopping the mass cancellation of National Endowment for the Humanities grants to members of the Authors Guild on the grounds that their First Amendment rights were violated. Judge Colleen McMahon of the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York stayed the mass cancellations of grants previously awarded to guild members and ordered that any funds associated with the grants not be reobligated until a trial on the merits of the case is held. The judge said several of the recipients’ grants had been cancelled because their work was connected to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

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Appeals court puts peace institute back in Trump administration hands with stay of lower court

June 27, 2025

A federal appeals court is staying a lower court ruling that blocked the Trump administration from moving forward with dismantling the U.S. Institute of Peace. The organization was taken over in March by the Department of Government Efficiency, then led by Elon Musk. The three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit reversed a decision by U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell that allowed USIP to regain control of its headquarters and operation while the government appealed her ruling. Howell had denied a government request for a stay of her opinion. The appeals court said the government had shown it would be likely to succeed on the merits of its appeal.

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U.S. Institute of Peace employees hold an impromptu celebration on the steps of the U.S. Institute of Peace, Monday, May 19, 2025, in Washington, after federal district Judge Beryl A. Howell blocked the Trump administration from moving forward with dismantling the organization. (AP Photo/Gary Fields)

Judge denies stay request, lets ruling stand blocking DOGE efforts to shut down peace institute

May 23, 2025

A federal judge has denied the Trump administration’s request that she stay her May 19 ruling that returned control of the U.S. Institute of Peace back to its acting president and board. In a seven-page ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell said Friday that the government did not meet any of the four requirements for a stay, including a “strong showing” of whether its request could succeed on the merits. Howell also denied a request by the government that she approve a two-day administrative stay to allow an appeal to the appeals court for the District of Columbia

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U.S. Institute of Peace acting President George Moose talks during a news conference outside the Institute, Wednesday, May 21, 2025 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

Institute of Peace reclaims its headquarters after court win over Musk’s cost-cutting team

May 21, 2025

The U.S. Institute of Peace has retaken control of its headquarters, two days after a federal judge said the firing of its board and employees by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency was illegal. The institute’s acting president, George Moose, entered its headquarters on Wednesday with private security and the institute’s outside attorney for the first time since being escorted off the premises during the DOGE takeover. Moose and most of the institute’s board were fired in March, part of the mass slashing of the federal workforce spearheaded by Musk. Speaking after a short examination of the headquarters, Moose said all appeared to be in order: “Things look to be in pretty good shape,” he says.

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