Federal Court Delivers Judgment to Prevent Dismantling of IMLS

On November 21, the U.S. District Court of Rhode Island filed its judgment in favor of the plaintiffs in State of Rhode Island v. Trump. 

In this case, 21 states’ attorneys general sued to prevent the dismantling of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and other federal agencies including the Minority Business Development Agency, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. Defendants include secretary of commerce Howard Lutnick, IMLS acting director and deputy secretary of labor Keith Sonderling, Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought, and President Donald Trump.

Judge John J. McConnell Jr. issued a preliminary injunction in May to halt damage to the IMLS, MBDA, and FMCS. In September, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit denied defendants’ request for a stay. 

Although the defendants asked Judge McConnell to reconsider, the judge now has denied their motion and issued a permanent injunction with this decision.

In a statement, EveryLibrary executive director John Chrastka said that protecting IMLS is "a victory for the rule of law and a clear rejection of executive overreach," noting that "as Congress resumes work on the FY2026 appropriations bills, we urge lawmakers to fully fund IMLS, especially the Grants to States program, and reaffirm the agency's role as an essential partner to every library in the nation."