Judge blocks Youngkin’s Virginia university board appointees in win for Democrats

Published July 29, 2025 3:14pm ET



A Virginia judge on Tuesday blocked three universities from recognizing Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R-VA) eight board appointees as board members, handing a win to state Democratic lawmakers who rejected the appointments last month.

Judge Jonathan Frieden, who serves on the Fairfax County Circuit Court, issued a preliminary injunction to prevent the University of Virginia, George Mason University, and the Virginia Military Institute from seating the rejected appointees on their boards. If allowed to serve, the chosen candidates would have represented conservative opposition to the institutions’ diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

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