The city of Baltimore is suing the Trump administration, alleging the president’s executive orders ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs violate the First and Fifth amendments.
The city is part of a broad coalition that includes higher education officers to file a lawsuit Monday in a Maryland federal court.
The suit alleges the executive orders violate free speech and obstruct Congress’ constitutional powers to control money, solely because the president disagrees with those programs.
The city, the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, the American Association of University Professors and Restaurant Opportunities Centers United are listed as plaintiffs in the suit.
The lawsuit alleges orders are “unlawfully vague” and have sowed “chaos, fear and confusion” from higher education institutions to restaurants to cities and communities, leaving many with the untenable choice to carry out their own lawful initiatives core to their missions or lose critical funding or face enforcement action.
A section of the lawsuit states: “The president can have his own views about these matters. He can try to make his views into policy. But he cannot seize Congress’ power of the purse. He cannot deny due process to millions of Americans. And he cannot abridge or disrupt the free speech of those who disagree.”
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott released a statement on the lawsuit, saying: “This executive order goes beyond just attacking DEI, it aims to establish the legal framework to attack anyone or any place who dares to celebrate our diversity … Doing so directly threatens many programs and entities that serve our community on a daily basis for no other reason than political posturing. Baltimore citizens risk losing vital federal funding due to this executive order, putting jobs and livelihoods at stake — and we will fight it with every legal tool available to us, just as we are doing with this lawsuit.”