A federal judge in Oregon ruled that the government's elimination of National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grants was unlawful, finding that the cuts violated the Constitution's grant of spending power to Congress. The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and Oregon Humanities against the NEH and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which had terminated grants in April following extreme cuts. A separate case in New York, brought by the American Historical Association, the Modern Language Association, and the American Council of Learned Societies, also resulted in a ruling that the government violated the law, with the judge advising that funds be escrowed pending trial.
The ruling matters because it reaffirms Congress's constitutional authority over federal spending and challenges the executive branch's unilateral defunding of cultural institutions. The NEH has awarded over $6 billion in grants since 1965, supporting museums, historical sites, universities, and libraries. Despite the legal victory, humanities councils remain without their appropriated funds, having already laid off staff and canceled programs. The case also highlights broader tensions over arts and humanities funding, as the Trump administration has reallocated some funds to a national garden of heroes and the NEH has seen two-thirds of its workforce laid off.