The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), alongside a coalition of public health organizations, unions, and researchers, has filed a sweeping federal lawsuit accusing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of unlawfully canceling research grants due to political and ideological pressure.
The lawsuit, filed on April 2 at the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, said the NIH terminated grants tied to hundreds of research projects on topics such as diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), racial disparities, COVID-19, vaccine hesitancy, LGBTQ health, and international collaboration.
The suit targets the NIH and its new director, Jay Bhattacharya, along with the Department of Health and Human Services and its secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr….