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New Jersey joins an 18-state coalition challenging new federal conditions on K-12 funding tied to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
4-28-2025 2:48pm
NJ Sues Federal Government Over Threat to Withhold Over $1 Billion in Education Funding
NEW JERSEY - New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced that the state has joined a multistate coalition in filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education, challenging recent actions by the Trump Administration that threaten critical federal education funding.
The lawsuit, filed today, contests an April 3, 2025, directive from the Department requiring state and local education agencies to certify compliance with a newly imposed interpretation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. According to the Department’s letter, failure to accept this new interpretation—which targets programs and policies supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)—would result in the loss of federal education funds.
“Shame on President Trump for cruelly threatening to pull funding from our schools. It’s outrageous to play political games with funding that is critical for our state’s students, and especially for students with special needs and our most vulnerable youth,” said Attorney General Platkin. “We won’t stand for this unlawful threat or for any action that will harm our best-in-the-nation education system. Make no mistake: We will continue to stand up for our schools, our teachers, and our students—and we will continue to fight back against these dangerous, reckless, and illegal attempts to deny our students the education they deserve.”
New Jersey receives over $1 billion annually in federal support for K-12 education, which finances a range of services including special education, teacher recruitment and training, programs for Multilingual Learners, and support for students in foster care or without stable housing. Traditionally, as a condition of receiving federal funds, New Jersey and other states have certified compliance with Title VI, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin.
Attorney General Platkin asserts that the Trump Administration’s reinterpretation of Title VI is legally unsupported, vague, and contradicts longstanding federal law. New Jersey declined to submit the new certification, affirming its continued compliance with existing federal requirements rather than the administration’s newly introduced and disputed conditions.
In the lawsuit, New Jersey and 18 other states argue that the U.S. Department of Education’s actions violate several constitutional and statutory provisions, including the Spending Clause, the Appropriations Clause, the separation of powers, and the Administrative Procedure Act. They seek to prevent the Department from enforcing the new conditions and withholding federal funding.
“The New Jersey Department of Education and New Jersey local education agencies have already assured full compliance with Title VI,” said New Jersey Department of Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer. “The lack of clarity of the U.S. Department of Education’s most recent request for certification, combined with the threat to federal funding that it carried, disregards the most foundational principles of New Jersey and federal education law: that all students deserve every opportunity to achieve academic excellence. Through today’s filing, we are protecting New Jersey’s districts’ ability to provide equitable access to educational opportunities and safe and supportive school environments.”
The coalition includes attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
