The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) submitted a lawsuit against the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Wednesday by accusing the agency of performing an “ideological purge” which led to the immediate termination of hundreds of vital research projects.
These federal law violations and constitutional breaches form the basis of the Massachusetts district court lawsuit.
The ACLU defends four researchers and their three member unions who rely on NIH grants by asserting that NIH ends research grants without showing scientific justification.
The lawsuit identifies ideological purity directives from the NIH as the driving force behind the targeting of research about diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) alongside gender identity and vaccine hesitancy and multiple other subject areas.
Research institutions and scientists face uncertainty because NIH has not established proper guidelines for grant terminations based on acceptable research topics.
The legal complaint targets NIH together with its director Jay Bhattacharya and additionally includes U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and its leader Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as defendants.
Neither of the agencies provided statements about the active legal proceedings.
The legal dispute belongs to a rising number of court challenges against the Trump administration’s research funding reductions while simultaneously limiting diversity education in universities and decreasing federal backing of selected scientific activities.
A Massachusetts judge issued a temporary order to stop NIH from reducing indirect cost funding which threatened the stability of research operations.
According to the ACLU the research disruptions caused by these actions affect crucial scientific fields at various levels. Research programs for breast cancer alongside studies of Alzheimer’s disease and HIV prevention have been eliminated from funding along with 678 additional studies.
The terminated grants amount to more than $2.4 billion in allocated funds where $1.3 billion has been spent so far and a remaining $1.1 billion was set to reach researchers before NIH cut off the support.
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Olga Akselrod from the ACLU Racial Justice Program indicates that NIH decisions harm professional careers and waste academic resources. According to her statement research operations do not function like a simple water supply valve.
Harvard Medical School scientist Brittany Charlton whose LGBTQ+ health research was disrupted and University of Michigan academic Katie Edwards who prevents sexual violence in minority populations are among the plaintiffs.
The scientists maintain that NIH political interference damages their professional growth and sets back public wellness and scientific development objectives.