Legal Action

An educational membership organization filed suit challenging the Department of Educations’s denial of federal Student Support Services (SSS) grants to colleges and universities serving low-income, first-generation, and disabled students. Plaintiff alleges that the Department unlawfully rejected applications based on required equity statements and Biden-era grant priorities, applying new anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion policies retroactively and without proper rulemaking. The complaint asserts that the Department’s actions were arbitrary, capricious, procedurally improper, and contrary to law, violating the Administrative Procedure Act, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the Higher Education Act. Plaintiff seeks declaratory, injunctive, and mandamus relief to set aside the unlawful denials and compel the Department to reconsider and award the grants consistent with lawful procedures.