WASHINGTON — The US Supreme Court ruled Friday in a 5-4 decision that the Trump administration can withhold millions in teacher grants as part of its campaign against Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, overturning a lower court's block on the move.

The ruling halts an earlier decision by a federal judge in Massachusetts who had deemed the administration’s termination of the grants unlawful for failing to follow proper legal procedures under the Administrative Procedure Act.

Approximately $65 million in federal education grants remain unpaid.

The majority opinion, issued without a named author, concluded that the lower court overstepped its authority by ordering the government to pay the grants. It said the administration had “compellingly argued” that the affected institutions would not suffer irreparable harm from the halted payments.

Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the court’s three liberal justices in dissent. Justice Elena Kagan, writing for the minority, argued the government failed to justify canceling the grants and warned of negative impacts on educational programs.

“Nowhere in its papers does the government defend the legality of canceling the education grants at issue here,” Kagan wrote.

The ruling allows the Trump administration’s policy to proceed while legal challenges continue. — Agencies