Federal judge ruled DOGE grant cuts violated First and Fifth Amendments

Published May 8, 2026 3:46am ET | Updated May 8, 2026 9:35am ET



A federal judge ruled on Thursday that cuts to hundreds of humanities grants ordered by the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency were predicated on “blatant” discrimination and were unconstitutional. DOGE was initially headed by former Trump administration adviser Elon Musk.

U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York Colleen McMahon said the termination of the federal grants for the National Endowment for the Humanities violated the First and Fifth Amendments of the Constitution. Moreover, McMahon said DOGE officials had no authority to order such grant cuts.

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