A federal judge appointed by Ronald Reagan on Monday accused the Trump administration of “appalling” and “palpably clear” discrimination against racial minorities and LGBTQ+ Americans.
“I’ve never seen a record where racial discrimination was so palpable. I’ve sat on this bench now for 40 years. I’ve never seen government racial discrimination like this,” said U.S. District Judge William Young, a Massachusetts-based jurist who took the bench in 1985.
Young’s sweeping rebuke during a court hearing was a reference to two executive orders signed by President Donald Trump that led the National Institutes of Health to rescind funding for research related to racial minorities and LGBTQ+ people. Though Young said he was uncertain whether he had the power to block the executive orders themselves, he declared the NIH cuts Monday to be “illegal” and “void,” and he ordered the NIH to immediately restore the research funds. An appeal is likely.