One of Trump’s signature policies has been his crusade against diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and activities. His Cabinet members have pledged to purge DEI from the government, and the government has put universities and corporations on notice that they must drop DEI or they will lose federal funding.

Yesterday, the anti-DEI crusade was stopped, at least for now.

A federal judge in Maryland temporarily blocked key portions of President Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the federal government and corporate America.

U.S. District Judge Adam B. Abelson granted a preliminary injunction on Friday that bars portions of Trump’s orders to cancel federal contracts with DEI components and require government contractors to certify that they do not engage in DEI practices that violate antidiscrimination laws. The order also prohibits enforcement against publicly traded companies and large universities with comparable policies.

In reference to enforcement against companies and universities, Abelson noted that the plaintiffs were “likely” to succeed on their claim that such actions would violate constitutionally protected free speech.

“That is textbook viewpoint-based discrimination,” Abelson wrote. “The government’s threat of enforcement is not just targeted towards enforcement of federal law. Rather, the provision expressly targets, and threatens, the expression of views supportive of equity, diversity and inclusion….”

On Feb. 3, a coalition of organizations — the American Association of University Professors, the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, and the mayor and city council of Baltimore — sued to block Trump’s orders…

The orders, the group alleged in a recent court filing, are “breeding fear and already forcing irreversible harm by chilling core political speech and academic freedom.”