On May 7, 2026, Judge Colleen McMahon, a senior judge in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, ruled that the mass termination by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) of more than 1,400 grants to support scholars, research institutions, and humanities organizations was “unlawful, unconstitutional, ultra vires [a Latin term meaning “beyond the powers”], and without legal effect.”
The decision is one of several issued recently in important lawsuits brought by members of the history and humanities communities of New York State. [Read more…] about Federal Judge Restores NEH Grants; NY History Community Legal Fights Continue