A federal judge declined a request to block an Alabama law that bans diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in public schools. The law also bans the teaching of concepts related to race and gender.
The Alabama law, which takes effect on Oct. 1, prohibits public schools from funding or sponsoring any DEI program. It bans requiring students to assent to concepts like assigning fault or bias to a race or sex.
University of Alabama students and professors filed the lawsuit, arguing the law violates the First Amendment by restricting what educators teach. The judge ruled that academic freedom does not override a university’s decisions about classroom instruction.
District Judge David Proctor stated that the plaintiffs did not meet the legal burden for a preliminary injunction, calling it “an extraordinary and drastic remedy.”
