Attorney General Nessel joins the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin in filing the lawsuit.
Michigan – Backed by a coalition of 18 other states, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has started a legal fight against what she calls “legally incoherent” restrictions on federal financing for K-12 schools, challenging the Trump Administration. This group effort questions the recent U.S. Department of Education directive threatening to withhold essential education money unless states follow the Administration’s limited reading of civil rights legislation.
The Department sent a controversial order to state and local educational agencies on April 3, 2025. They were told that if they wanted to keep getting federal money, acceptance of the Administration’s view of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was non-negotiable. This reinterpretation especially targets and tries to destroy diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) projects inside schools.
Citing the vagueness and conflict of interest of the federal government’s requirements, the states involved—including Michigan—have rejected these requests. They contend that following these conditions would be illegal and unrealistic since it would compromise long-standing Civil Rights Act protections.
“That the federal government would strangle our schools and shutter classrooms to achieve their political attacks on DEI programming is appalling,” Nessel said in a release.
She underlined the vital need of federal funds, which help a wide range of educational programs from special education to assistance for low-income kids and English language learners.
Michigan was scheduled to get more than $1.2 billion from the U.S. Department of Education for the fiscal year 2024. Maintaining equal access to good education across different demographic groups depends on this funding. The new rules, nevertheless, call for states to declare they do not support DEI initiatives the Administration considers inappropriate without straightforward definition of what these terms mean.
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The attorneys general’s lawsuit aims to stop the Department of Education from applying these new financing requirements. They contend that the conditions breach various constitutional values including the Spending Clause and the Separations of Powers concept as well as the Administrative Procedures Act, which controls the process by which federal agencies create and issue rules.
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Joining Michigan in the lawsuit are the states of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. Every state has reaffirmed its dedication to defend the educational rights of its children against what they see as federal government overreach by upholding the values of the Civil Rights Act.
This legal battle is a significant turning point in the continuous conflict between state governments and the federal administration over control of educational programs and the interpretation of civil rights laws. Undoubtedly, as the case develops, it will bring up important questions about the balance of power between federal authority and state rights in the administration of public education.