Filed Date: June 9, 2026
Clearinghouse coding in progress
[This summary is temporary while we research the case]. The States of California, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin filed this complaint on June 9, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against the U.S. Department of Education and Secretary Linda McMahon. The suit challenged the Department's termination of each state's multi-year State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG), a program authorized under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to fund professional development for educators serving children with disabilities. Each state had been awarded a competitive SPDG grant, and each application had included equity-related language that the Department itself had required under the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) Section 427 and applicable regulatory selection criteria. Following President Trump's January 2025 executive orders targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, the Department issued two internal directives in February and June 2025 to review grants for consistency with anti-DEI priorities, and on September 5, 2025, sent the three states notices of non-continuation citing the very equity-related language it had previously mandated. The complaint alleged that the terminations caused staff layoffs, eliminated family engagement programs, reduced professional development resources, and harmed children with disabilities. The plaintiffs asserted six counts, including violations of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), the Spending Clause, and equitable ultra vires principles, and sought vacatur of the non-continuation decisions, declaratory relief, a permanent injunction requiring new legally compliant continuation award decisions, and attorneys' fees.
Summary Authors
(6/14/2026)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73460233/parties/state-of-california-v-united-states-department-of-education/
Gilliam, Haywood Stirling (California)
Basbaum, Jesse P (California)
Herrera, Elia (California)
Island, State of (California)
Wisconsin, State of (California)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73460233/state-of-california-v-united-states-department-of-education/
Last updated June 15, 2026, 3:07 a.m.
State / Territory:
Case Type(s):
Public Benefits/Government Services
Special Collection(s):
Trump Administration 2.0: Challenges to the Government
Key Dates
Filing Date: June 9, 2026
Case Details
Other Dockets:
Northern District of California 3:26-cv-05549
Case Summary of State of California v. United States Department of Education, Civil Rights Litig. Clearinghouse, https://clearinghouse.net/case/48214/ (last updated 6/14/2026).