Restore IMLS: ALA Goes to Court
JUNE 9 UPDATE: On June 6, a federal judge in Washington issued a ruling on ALA's request for a preliminary injunction in our ongoing legal case, ALA v. Sonderling. ALA and our partners are analyzing the impacts of this court decision and our next steps in our litigation.
A March 14, 2025, Executive Order effectively began the process of eliminating the only federal agency dedicated to the nation’s libraries and museums. While constituting less than .003 of the federal budget, the nonpartisan Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) provides essential support for our nation’s 125,000 public, K12 school, higher education, and other libraries.
As the country celebrated National Library Week, the ALA and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) asked a federal judge on April 7 to halt the dismantling of IMLS and filed a motion for a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit that was initiated on behalf of ALA and AFSCME by Democracy Forward and co-counsel Gair Gallo Eberhard LLP. On May 1, a federal court granted a temporary restraining order to halt the administration’s gutting of IMLS. The ruling temporarily prevents any further actions that would affect staff or grants, including the mass layoffs of nearly all IMLS staff that were originally scheduled to begin May 4.
In a separate lawsuit brought by the attorneys general of 21 states, on May 14, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction to reverse all steps the agency previously had taken to implement the executive order, restoring IMLS employees and contractors who were placed on leave or terminated, ordering the administration not to cancel grants, and to resume processing of payments to grantees in the 21 plaintiff states.
These are significant steps forward—but the fight is far from over. While the courts consider the merits of our case, we can't lose sight of the future of funding for IMLS.
ALA News
- Court allows Trump administration to proceed with efforts to destroy Institute of Museum and Library Services as case continues (June 6, 2025)
- Federal Court Halts Dismantling of Federal Library Agency in ALA Lawsuit (May 1, 2025)
- ALA offers advice on federal grant cancellations (April 22, 2025)
- American Library Association, AFSCME Challenge Trump Administration Gutting of Institute of Museum and Library Services (April 7, 2025, updated April 11)
- Motion for preliminary injunction (April 11, 2025)
- Full complaint (April 7, 2025)
- ALA responds to the termination of IMLS grants in several states (April 3, 2025)
- ALA says White House "cutting off opportunity" for Americans as administration cuts IMLS staff (March 31, 2025)
- ALA warns new IMLS acting director not to cut programs required by law (March 20, 2025)
- Letter to Acting Director Keith Sonderling (March 20, 2025)
- FAQ: Executive Order Targeting IMLS (first published March 19, 2025)
- ALA statement on White House assault on the Institute of Museum and Library Services (March 15, 2025)
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