The judge says the case should be heard in a court dedicated to contract claims against the federal government.
A federal judge has cleared the way for the Trump administration to move forward with its plan to dismantle the federal agency that funds libraries nationwide.
In a June 6 order, Judge Richard Leon of the District Court for the District of Columbia declined to block the administration from making cuts to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), saying his court doesn’t have jurisdiction over the challengers’ claims.
Leon had previously agreed to temporarily block the administration, saying at the time that those suing to preserve the IMLS were likely to show that President Donald Trump lacks the authority to unilaterally shut down an agency created by Congress.
But in the latest ruling, Leon wrote that as much as the “Court laments the Executive Branch’s efforts to cut off this lifeline for libraries and museums,” the case should be heard in a different court specialized in money damages claims against the federal government.
Specifically, he pointed to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision in April that granted the Trump administration’s emergency appeal to suspend more than $600 million in grants for teacher preparation programs amid ongoing litigation. The suspension is part of the president’s broader effort to make sure no federal dollar goes to promote the ideology of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in violation of anti-discrimination laws.
In an unsigned opinion, the high court’s conservative majority said a federal district court likely lacks the power to compel the government to make the payments under the federal law governing administrative agencies. Instead, the majority suggested the challenge should have been brought in the Court of Federal Claims, which does have the power to hear lawsuits arising from contracts with the United States.
“I find compelling the Supreme Court’s … reservations about a district court ordering enforcement of a contractual obligation against the Government,” Leon wrote, noting that the plaintiffs repeatedly ask to restore grant funding throughout their complaint. “It is the inherently contractual nature of the relief afforded that makes the Court of Federal Claims the exclusive forum for this suit.”
By Bill Pan
