Federal judge rules cuts to humanities grants were 'unlawful'

Federal judge rules cuts to humanities grants were 'unlawful'

Elizabeth Blair

August 07, 2025 / 8:20 am

A federal judge has ruled that the government's abrupt elimination of humanities grants previously approved by Congress was "unlawful" and that a lawsuit brought by humanities groups can move forward.

In April, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), terminated grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities to thousands of groups across the country including humanities councils, museums, historic sites, archives, libraries, educators and media outlets.

In May, Oregon Humanities and the Federation of State Humanities Councils sued the endowment and DOGE, alleging the sudden grant cuts were an "attempted destruction, spearheaded by DOGE, of the congressionally est