On day one of President Donald Trump’s second term, his administration immediately began implementing the Project 2025 agenda: cutting key civil rights protections, using anti-discrimination laws to attack programs that level the playing field for all Americans, and rolling back decades of progress across issues like voting rights, capital punishment, and equal opportunity. These actions have had a tangible impact on Black people and other people of color, women, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, and other marginalized communities. Because the president’s efforts will make it harder for everyone to lead lives free of discrimination, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) has taken a number of actions to stop them.
This page outlines how the Trump administration has implemented the harmful Project 2025 agenda, and what LDF has done to defend equal opportunity for all and stop the erosion of our multi-racial democracy.
Issued a series of harmful executive orders attacking diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives
Pressured private companies and employers to drop their diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility programs
Called on the government to pull funding from medical research, teacher training, and grants to combat housing discrimination
Filed lawsuit challenging executive orders attacking diversity, inclusion, and accessibility and erasing transgender people from public record.
Exited Meta’s civil rights advisory council after the company eliminated its diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility programs without consultation; also, sent a letter to Meta urging the company to reverse its decision
Issued executive orders that:
Undermine long-standing civil rights tools used to fight bias in education, employment, and housing
Revoke a key order banning discrimination in federal contracting
LDF condemned the Trump administration for weakening anti-discrimination protections
Directed the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to scale back race and sex discrimination investigations
Announced plan to investigate and prosecute entities with policies addressing discrimination
Fired tens of thousands of federal employees
Weakened federal agencies through drastic cuts to funding
Moved to strip rights 50,000 nonpartisan federal employees
Created a resource outlining federal workers’ rights
Directed federal workers to free direct legal support
Issued executive orders targeting law firms and attorneys
Directed the Attorney General to investigate lawyers who sued the administration
Filed amicus briefs opposing these orders in four cases:
Removed civil rights and fair housing requirements from disaster recovery funding
Weakened the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, allowing state and local governments to access federal funds without addressing discrimination
Proposed cutting half of Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) staff, including those enforcing anti-discrimination laws
Attempted to slash grants supporting fair housing enforcement and education
Rolled back renter protections, worsening housing instability for marginalized communities
Alongside 1,500 organizations, LDF sent a letter to congressional leadership opposing Dept. of Housing and Urban Development staff cuts
Called on the Trump administration to reverse course on rolling back civil rights protections meant to remedy housing segregation and create equal to access to well-resourced neighborhoods
Issued executive order banning public school curricula from teaching systemic racism, privilege, or implicit bias
The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights sent a “Dear Colleague” letter threatening to cut funding to pre-K-12 schools and colleges that engage in diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility efforts
Pressured state education agencies to comply harmful and incorrect interpretations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard
LDF filed a lawsuit challenging the unlawful elimination of the federal equity assistance center program and related grants provide schools with critical technical assistance to prevent and remedy discrimination.
Created a guide Debunking the “Dear Colleague” letter
Issued executive order to dismantle the Department of Education
LDF filed a lawsuit challenging ED’s decision to no longer collect, maintain, analyze, and disseminate federal educational data.
Created a guide explaining resources and protections threatened by the Trump’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education and what you can do to fight back.
Issued a statement highlighting how Trump’s actions would harm millions of students, families, and educators who rely on the Department of Education
LDF President and Director-Counsel Janai Nelson testified before the House Committee on Education and Workforce urging lawmakers to protect equitable, high-quality education and uphold the promise of Brown v. Board of Education.
Issued executive order attempting to take control of federal elections from Congress and the states rules by unnecessarily requiring voters to show a passport or other proof of citizenship to register
Filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump’s unlawful executive order that attempts to seize the power to set voter registration rules from Congress and the states by requiring a passport or similar documentation of citizenship in order to register to vote.
Issued executive order to strip babies born in the United States of their U.S. citizenship
Filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump’s unlawful birthright citizenship executive order. On Feb. 10, a federal court in issued a preliminary injunction blocking the order.
Created a Know Your Rights: Birthright Citizenship FAQ resource
Issued executive order to resucitate the use of the federal death penalty and expand death eligible crimes
The Trump DOJ has declared they are seeking four new federal death sentences. By comparison, the Biden administration sought one new death sentence over four years
Condemned the order and drew attention to cruel and racially discriminatory nature of the death penalty
Issued executive order that falsely claims to advance public safety; the order actually seeks to impose federal control over Washington D.C.’s local affairs
Used federal law enforcement to target immigrants, low-income communities, and stifle protest
Issued a statement demanding due process and human and civil rights protections for Mahmoud Khalil after he was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Condemned the executive order and overt attempt to seize power and control from local governments
Issued executive order that expands aggressive law enforcement activity and increases criminalization and threatens prosecution for promoting equitable policing practices
Issued a statement condemning the orders as an unabashed abuse of executive authority
Published a guide breaking down the executive order and its limitations
For 85 years, the Legal Defense Fund has worked tirelessly to defend the humanity and advance the rights of Black people in America. We were built to meet this moment with the same force, tenacity that has driven our relentless fight for justice, equality, and full citizenship for Black people.
Our litigation, research, organizing, and policy teams are steeped in the information and methods that will protect the civil rights of Black Americans and all Americans. To keep up with our work, you can visit our We Were Built for This webpage.
LDF has been fighting back against the Trump administration’s efforts to weaken civil rights and erode our democracy since day one. Learn about the lawsuits we’ve filed.
Our litigation, research, organizing, and policy teams are steeped in the information and methods that will protect the civil rights of Black Americans and all Americans. Learn more about our work.
Read LDF’s in-depth legal analysis of Project 2025’s impact on Black communities and learn about our affirmative vision for how Black people can thrive.
