The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision on Thursday, allowed President Donald Trump to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in federal research grants.
The high court rescinded an order from a Boston judge that blocked $783 million worth of cuts made by the National Institutes of Health on gender identity and diversity, equity and inclusion.
The high court’s majority said the lower court judge did not follow its spring decision allowing the Trump administration to cancel education grants.
“When this court issues a decision, it constitutes a precedent that commands respect in lower courts,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote.
“If nothing else, the promise of our legal system that like cases are treated alike means that a lower court ought not invoke the ‘persuasive authority’ of a dissent or a repudiated court of appeals decision to reach a different conclusion on an equivalent record,” Gorsuch added.
Chief Justice John Roberts joined the three liberal justices, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, in dissent to the courts opinion.
“This relief – which has prospective and generally applicable implications beyond the reinstatement of specific grants – falls well within the scope of the District Court’s jurisdiction,” Roberts wrote.
“Make no mistake: Per the evidence in front of the District Court, the forward march of scientific discovery will not only be halted – it will be reversed,” Jackson wrote.
