Federal judge rules cuts to humanities grants were ‘unlawful’

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 established federal-state partnership.”

In his decision, U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon wrote that the councils were “likely to succeed on their claim that the withholding of the funds at issue in this case is unconstitutional.” He added, “The United States Constitution exclusively grants the power of the purse to Congress, not the President.”

Simon also wrote that, “Federal funding for the arts and humanities has enjoyed bipartisan support for decades, with Congress continuing to strengthen the statutes governing NEH and provide stable funding generation after generation.”

In a statement, Phoebe Stein, president of the Federation of State Humanities Councils, called the judge’s ruling “excellent” but cautioned that “humanities councils are still operating without their Congressionally appropriated funds, and many have already laid off staff and cancelled vital programs as a result.”

Adam Davis, executive director of Oregon Humanities, said the ruling is “motivating” and “one step — among many that are needed — in the large, ongoing endeavor to knit our communities and the country closer together.”

In July, a New York federal court similarly found that the government violated the law when it canceled humanities grants that had already been awarded. It said that the grants should be reinstated until after the case has been tried.

The National Endowment for the Humanities has not yet responded to NPR’s request for comment.

Jennifer Vanasco edited this story.