Policies & Analysis

The American Council of Learned Societies, the American Historical Association, and the Modern Language Association, have sued the Trump administration to challenge the dismantlement of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The Trump administration has eliminated nearly all of its programs and conducted mass staff layoffs. Plaintiffs argue this abrupt cancellation of grants and termination of staff not only disrupts ongoing scholarly work but also infringes on the free expression rights of grant recipients. Plaintiffs assert that the defendants’ actions violate several legal and constitutional provisions, including separation of powers principles, the Impoundment Control Act, appropriations law, the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), and the First Amendment. During the litigation, the case was consolidated with The Authors Guild v. National Endowment for the Humanities (1:25-cv-03657)—a related lawsuit challenging similar actions by NEH.