A federal judge has issued a temporary order protecting the City of Atlanta’s access to federal grant funding amid an ongoing legal fight over diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, according to a report from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The ruling stems from a lawsuit originally filed last summer by a coalition led by Fresno, CA. In February, Atlanta joined more than a dozen additional cities and counties as plaintiffs, challenging new federal grant conditions tied to immigration enforcement and DEI initiatives.
On April 28, U.S. District Court Judge Richard Seeborg granted a preliminary injunction barring several federal agencies from enforcing those requirements while the case proceeds. The order applies to the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Transportation and Health and Human Services, preventing them from withholding funds or imposing new conditions on the plaintiffs.
Seeborg had previously granted similar protections to the original plaintiffs in the case. In his order, he wrote that the additional jurisdictions face the same constitutional concerns and financial uncertainty, justifying the expanded relief.
The disputed grant conditions followed executive actions by President Donald Trump aimed at eliminating affirmative action and diversity programs among federal funding recipients, including local governments.
Atlanta relies heavily on federal funding, receiving an estimated $1.4 billion last year, according to a city document reviewed by the AJC. The stakes became clear last summer when Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport lost millions in Federal Aviation Administration funding after refusing to comply with the new requirements.
