Story perspectives

Judge Orders NEH to Restore $100 M Grants, Citing Free Speech

5/9/2026

Left

Judge McMahon Rescinds Grants

Judge Colleen McMahon warned that the grant cuts chill protected expression and halt ongoing humanities research.
The National Endowment for the Humanities was ordered to rescind over $100 million in canceled grants by Judge Colleen McMahon.
Two D.C. Circuit judges seemed likely to side with Senator Mark Kelly against the department.
The cuts threatened scholars’ projects and retired officers’ speech, raising concerns about institutional accountability.

Right

Judge Sues DOJ

The lawsuit alleges the judge’s removal stemmed from her Democratic ties and EOIR memos calling immigrant-advocacy groups “extremist leftist organizations”.
A California immigration judge sued the U.S. Justice Department over her dismissal, with the case still pending.
The complaint highlights the judge’s high performance ratings and a 34% asylum denial rate.
It lists 30 other immigration judges, many female, not made permanent in Trump-era probationary dismissals.

Center

Judge McMahon Dismisses

The Department of Government Efficiency used AI tools like ChatGPT to flag DEI-related humanities projects before Trump administration canceled funding.
U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon in Manhattan dismissed former Marine Raymond Epps’s defamation lawsuit against Fox News again.
The cancellations violated the First Amendment and Fifth Amendment equal-protection guarantees, according to Judge McMahon.
Fox News welcomed the dismissal, noting Raymond Epps had been pardoned by President Donald Trump.

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Judge McMahon Rescinds Grants

Judge Colleen McMahon warned that the grant cuts chill protected expression and halt ongoing humanities research.
The National Endowment for the Humanities was ordered to rescind over $100 million in canceled grants by Judge Colleen McMahon.
Two D.C. Circuit judges seemed likely to side with Senator Mark Kelly against the department.
The cuts threatened scholars’ projects and retired officers’ speech, raising concerns about institutional accountability.

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