On August 4, Tonkon Torp Managing Partner Anna Sortun argued a Motion for a Preliminary Injunction in the firm’s lawsuit against DOGE and the National Endowment for the Humanities on behalf of Oregon Humanities and the National Federation of Humanities Councils. On August 6, the Honorable Michael H. Simon, the presiding judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, issued an opinion in favor of the humanities councils.
Tonkon Torp filed its initial lawsuit against DOGE and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in May, challenging the blanket termination of federal grants to 56 state and jurisdictional humanities councils including Oregon Humanities. In early June, NEH purported to partially rescind the terminations and restore limited funding to some of the councils. Shortly thereafter, Tonkon Torp filed an Amended Complaint and a Motion for Preliminary Injunction, seeking to stay the terminations and prohibit the NEH from repurposing the grant monies. The motion argued that the wholesale termination of funding violated the Constitution, the Impoundment Control Act, and the Administrative Procedures Act. Judge Simon’s May 6 opinion granted Tonkon Torp all the interim relief it sought on behalf of the councils, finding that the firm is likely to succeed on its claims at trial and that its clients are likely to be irreparably harmed by the administration’s unlawful actions.
The lawsuit is being led by Anna Sortun with assistance from litigators Steven Wilker, Paul Balmer, and Gracey Nagle. Media coverage of the case has been broad and immediate. Learn more at the below links:
Humanities groups fight back after federal grant cuts | Courthouse News Service
Humanities councils win freeze on Trump grant terminations | Courthouse News Service
Cuts to humanities grants were ‘unlawful,’ federal judge rules : NPR
Oregon leads legal fight against Trump’s cuts to humanities funding – oregonlive.com
Federal judge in Oregon blocks Trump’s cuts to humanities programs across US – oregonlive.com
Oregon Humanities urges judge to reverse Trump funding cuts – Portland Business Journal
Oregon Humanities wins court order stopping Trump funding cuts – Portland Business Journal
Filed under Community, Government Law & Disputes, Litigation, News & Publications, Nonprofit Organizations