A federal judge in Boston has ruled that the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) must immediately restore approximately 800 grants touching on politically sensitive topics that it abruptly canceled earlier this year. In his ruling 16 June, 2025 after a morning hearing, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts William Young said the agency’s decision to terminate grants in areas such as racial health disparities and transgender health were arbitrary and capricious, meaning there was no legally valid process behind its reasoning. Young also said the terminations were rooted in discrimination against racial, sexual, and gender minority groups.
Andrew Nixon, director of communications for the Department of Health and Human Services, NIH’s parent agency, responded that, "HHS stands by its decision to end funding for research that prioritized ideological agendas over scientific rigor and meaningful outcomes for the American people.” The department “is exploring all legal options," he said, including filing an appeal and a motion to stay the order.
More: https://www.science.org/content/article/judge-orders-nih-restore-hundreds-grants-cut-under-trump
